Tweet Of The Month

/applause

Post Title Of The Month

Tim Worstall on the 'Peter Rabbit' allergy furore:

Honourable runner up, TimN on the collapse of the Mockney Empire:

Quote Of The Month

Tim Newman on modern day parenting:

"I bet both the author and the mother have conjured up visions of the daughter becoming a high-flying power-skirt being headhunted for a senior role by several major corporations, issuing her demands for a bigger bonus and the corner office. In reality, she’s more likely to be presented with a zero-hours contract from Sports Direct which is about as negotiable as Annapurna in winter. In order to negotiate a contract, you need to understand your market worth and be able to convince the other party of the value you will bring to the table. An employment contract is, in theory, mutually beneficial – quite unlike the gift of a car. It is a poor analogy, and worse advice. When you’re young and inexperienced you need to do crap work for not much pay until you’ve figured out what you want to do, and start developing your market worth. Until then, simply saying “I don’t like it” and digging in your heels isn’t going to result in anything other than you living for a long time in your parents’ house."

Nearly got the 'Post Title Of The Month' too!

Post Of The Month

Leg-Iron on the Florida school shooting.

Who's Concerned? Anyone? Bueller?

An inquest into the death of a prisoner has ruled although it was accidental, it could have been prevented.

The ruling means that in the past two years, there have been contributing factors in the deaths of three inmates at Chelmsford Prison.

Oh..?

Chelmsford Coroner’s Court heard that the Mr Shaw, who had a history of drug abuse, died after smoking a morphine patch in his cell.

The jury unanimously found the death to be an accident. However, they also agreed that, with better communication and more resources, Mr Shaw’s welfare could have been better managed and his untimely death avoided.

Maybe. *shrugs*

Chelmsford Coroners Court heard Mr Shaw was a drug user serving a six-year sentence for robbery. The decision from the inquest is the latest ruling that marks out a concerning trend at the prison.

I'm sure Shaw's victim was really concerned about his welfare.

Worthless Animal At Both Ends Of The Lead...

Sarah said she was riding her horse Jack, with her then-six-year-old daughter alongside on her own pony, while her husband was riding his bike, with their then-four-year-old daughter on the back.

“We met this woman with a dog, not on the lead, and it looked lively,” Sarah said.

“She said it didn’t like horses so we said we’d take the track to the left.”

One might ask why if it didn't like horses, it was being walked off the lead in a known riding area. Of course, the inevitable happened.

After a long process, the owner of the dog has now been given a conditional caution, for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury, and has to pay £400 to Sarah.

She said she was also told by police that the dog died last autumn in a “freak accident”.

Attacked something that fought back, I hope?

“The whole thing was horrendous,” Sarah said. “And this – £400 doesn’t even cover the cost of putting my horse down.”

What is the point of such feeble punishment?

New Vs Old...

New policing:

Torbay police inspector Si Jenkinson said: 'The dangerous practice of "outing" people as professional criminals based on often unverifiable information fails to acknowledge the very complex vulnerabilities and chaotic lives of those concerned.'

Old-style policing:

Officers have stated there are no genuine rough sleepers in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and are concerned the 'homeless' are misleading people.

Sergeant Phil Priestley said: 'There are no rough sleepers in Ely - all of the individuals that have been seen begging recently have been catered for with regards to housing and support.'

Spot the difference?

Who would you rather have looking after your streets?

You're Quite Right, Actually...

...there is indeed something 'not quite right', though probably not the way you mean it?

In a statement read to Brighton Coroner’s Court yesterday, Mr Godfrey said: “I walked into the living room and saw Dave there.

“Both of his arms were up in a stance as if he was trying to grab something. I didn’t see Dave’s phone anywhere.

“I saw his two crack pipes. They were both smashed up.

“I was in a shocked state and phoned 999 without tidying up.

“I think there is something not right about his death.

“He was a good friend of mine. I have known him for 17 years.”

I'm amazed he survived that long!

He said that Mr Shaw, who had a degree in chemistry, preferred to make his own crack instead of buying it off street dealers and that he only knew of him taking heroin once or twice before.

Toxicology tests carried out after his death found a mixture of heroin, cocaine and prescription drugs, including a small amount of tramadol and benzodiazepine, in his system.

Hardly a gifted amateur, then.

Police said later a 28-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the supply of heroin and released under investigation.

The investigation is now closed with no further action taken.

Even the police can't be bothered. Who can blame them?

It's A Foreign Country, They Do Things Differently Up There...

...and how!

A doctor has been cleared of a dangerous dog charge after her mastiff brutally savaged a woman.

GP Esther Wilson’s dog George lunged at Tracey McAllister as she walked in Dundee’s Old Craigie Road with a friend during her lunch break.

The animal bit through Mrs McAllister’s padded winter coat, digging its teeth into her arm and leaving blood pouring down her sleeve.

Did the good doctor assist the victim?

The dog only let go after a passerby repeatedly kicked it on the head until it released its grip.

Yikes!

Dr Wilson admitted being in charge of the dog at the time of the incident but was cleared after her lawyer argued there was no evidence she knew there was any chance of the dog attacking.

...

...

Nope, me neither! There's no word on the fate of the hound, either. I hope Ms McAllister can at least sue for damages, or is that also different north of the Wall?

The 'Mail' Know Their Audience, Clearly...

...why else would they have to explain this isn't an image of the actual process..?!

When You Get PR Just Right....

...and everyone forgets you ran out of the one item you sell in a logistics cock up!

Sunday Funnies...

Frankly, they are all crazy, aren't they?

A Civil Matter...

Jennifer Redgrave-Scott, 53, was charged under dangerous dog laws after her Labrador Shar Pei cross savaged PC Simon Banks as he was leaving the rural property following a call from her estranged stepson.

Whoops!

At Stockport Magistrates' Court Mrs Redgrave-Scott, a mother of seven, wept as she admitted have a dog dangerously out of control and was ordered to pay damages and serve a 12-month community order.

No jail. Of course!

The court heard the incident arose out of a long running dispute between Mrs Redgrave-Scott and her stepson Adam after she married his widowed father Richard Scott, now 81 in 2015 following a 23 year courtship.

It was claimed Adam, 55, - who lives at a luxury farmhouse on the complex - had feared he would lose out on inheriting his father's farm Moat Hall as a result and reported his stepmother to police on various occasions.

Oo-er! It's all getting a bit 'Midsomer Murders'...

Mrs Redgrave-Scott had herself previously signed a 'no biting' behavioural contract (Ed: One supposes it's for the dog..?) after the dog jumped up at guests staying at her B&B on the farm in the tiny village of Marthall, near Knutsford, Cheshire.

The 10-year old animal has since been destroyed.

Who'd go to a guest house where there's a dangerous mutt chained in the yard?!?

In mitigation defence lawyer Angelo Saponiere said: 'My client hasn't slept and has had to maintain her employment and caring for her husband full time, whilst looking after a family. She runs a B&B with her eldest son and has seven children with her husband, who is 81 - but she has had a lot of trouble from her stepson Adam.

'On that day in question he called the police because work was being done on the farm that he wasn't happy about. He has taken them to the social services, to the courts of protection, he has got the police, involved on a number of occasions.

'It is my thinking that he wants some part of the inheritance. He lives across the road from the family and is constantly calling the police trying to report them. She came back from walking the dog, chained him up and saw the police.

In her own words they 'frogmarched' her into the living room, so she got distracted and couldn't go back to the dog and put his muzzle on.

'She was distracted by the police officers and did not have time to put the muzzle on.'

You deserve an Oscar!

'She works hard to look after her family and it would be pointless to see her put in prison, especially as she provides so much for her family and the community.'

What, exactly, does she provide? Apart from a hell of a lot of work for the local shyster?

It's A Tragedy, Because They Seemed Well Suited...

Police and prosecutors are still flummoxed as to why a dying Mr Lavelle chose not to ring either police or the ambulance service as he moved around his Rock Ferry flat, in the process leaving blood stains on his walls and furniture.

It could have been confusion caused by blood loss. Or it could have been he simply wasn't very bright.

Lewis, 46, was accused of murder but she changed her plea to guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter on the second day of her trial.

Following the attack, she took several photos of her boyfriend's injured face in the bedroom of his flat.

As one does...

Lewis, of Croxteth Avenue, Seaforth, and Mr Lavelle had been in a relationship for around a year after meeting on a dating website.

When interviewed at the police station, Lewis denied causing any injury to him, and even denied that he had an injury.

The injury she had photographic evidence of, you mean? Hmmm, didn't need to be told they didn't meet at a MENSA convention, do we?

Judge Aubrey: “No sentence that this court imposes can ever mitigate their loss or take away from their grief.”

Judge Aubrey states that up until the second day of her trial Lewis had accepted no responsibility. He states that the suggestion Mr Lavelle may have taken his own life caused pain to his family.

JA “You placed before the court false positive assertions in a basis of plea...in my judgement you are still seeking to hide behind a mask of loss of memory.”

He says her sentence will be reduced by five per cent for her late guilty plea.

“It was a sad and unusual death and no one would have expected him to die from that injury, but he did, and you and no one else bears full responsibility for that death,

“ Judge Aubrey says: “One is not convinced that you have shown any remorse whatsoever.”

So the punishment will be harsh, right?

Judge Aubrey says he will pass a determinate sentence, meaning Lewis will serve half in prison before being released on licence.

*sighs*

"No, Not Me! I Should Be Exempt!"

A man has accused a council officer of “aggressive over-enforcement” after he was threatened with a fine for having his dog off the lead while sitting outside a Bristol coffee shop.

He doesn't deny he had the dog off the lead, in contravention of the rules. He just thinks they shouldn't apply to him, because, err, well, it's obvious! Isn't it?

Mr Piper, 36, said: “I am strongly in favour of fines being issued to combat littering, dog fouling, and other anti-social behaviour. However the aggressive over-enforcement of the new rules about keeping dogs on leads at all times is absurd and totally unjustified.”

“Responsible dog owners such as myself are being harassed and forced to pay for no good reason.”

You weren't forced to pay anything, it was for a good reason, and one man's 'harassment' is another man's 'make sure the rules apply to all'...

“I don't believe members of the public want their tax money to be spent on trivial matters, such as well-behaved dogs not being on the lead at all times.”

I do. Ask a lot of people, and they'd say 'Keep the mutts on leads? Great! Where do I vote for this?'

“This doesn't contribute to a better quality of life for anyone in Bristol, in contrast the measures brought in to combat littering, fly-posting and actual anti-social behaviour, of which there is sadly plenty.”

Actually, it's equally as important. And yes, low hanging fruit and all that, granted. But if a law it passed, it should apply to all equally. That means you too.

"When I think about how many other genuine problems there are in the city and how underfunded so many public services are, I get quite angry that the council is wasting resources in this manner.”

Then keep your dogs on a lead. Then there's no waste, is there?

You Can Take The Boys Out Of Somalia...

...but it seems you can't take Somalia out of the boys.

Yesterday Mrs Abdi called for anyone carrying a blade to be 'taken off the streets'. She spoke of her agony after her elder son and nephew, both 20, were also killed within a mile of each other in London in separate attacks.

She demanded tough action on knife crime as Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick said the 'senseless waste of life' cannot continue.

Yet it shows no signs of stopping. And you're all out of ideas, aren't you?

Yesterday the family released a statement saying: 'This is now the constant theme in our community. We are made to believe that the police are here to protect us, but how does a mother feel her kids are protected when she has lost two in the same vicinity within months? We have lots of questions and need answers. Somebody has to listen to us.'

Maybe those aren't questions you should be asking the police. Maybe you should be asking your 'community'. Or your sons?

After all, the police are treating only one as 'mistaken identity'.

Flogging A Dead, Errrr.....

The A127 is expected to be closed until midnight following reports of horses racing along the road.

By themselves..?

Reports say that the Southend bound road between Progress Road and Bellhouse Road has been closed. All traffic is being diverted away from the road.

That's a hell of a long stretch. How comes the police can get down there & close the road, but can't arrest any of the Caravan Utilising Nomadic Travellers causing the disruption?

More information as we receive it.

And indeed, there was some!

Essex Police are urging residents to report incidents of pony and trap racing which they say poses a "real risk to road users."

Last Saturday, February 3, police were called to reports of a large group of vehicles, horse boxes and pedestrians in a lane of the A127 between Codham Hall Lane, Great Warley and The Halfway House pub, causing significant disruption to road users.

Our officers attended to ensure public safety and that the road was not obstructed, seizing three vehicles and issuing a warning to another driver under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

And unless you keep on top of this, and make the area so utterly unwelcoming for them that they go elsewhere, you're just .... well, you can guess.

Wait, There's A Scale For This...?

A Sheriff has ordered the destruction of a bull mastiff dog after its owner was branded “irresponsible” by a specialist vet.

And Moira Hunter, of Liffnock Avenue, Kilmarnock, was also banned from owning dogs for five years following her appearance at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Because after 5 years, she'll miraculously become Barbara Woodhouse?

In November Hunter pleaded guilty to being in charge of the dog when it was dangerously out-of-control on December 9 2016.

That saw her dog attack a labrador puppy, repeatedly biting it and causing an injury. Hunter’s mutt then attacked the labrador’s owner, biting her on the body causing her a number of injuries.

Sentence was previously deferred for a veterinary report on the dog’s behaviour.

Even dogs now don't feel the lash of justice before the system has commissioned a report from someone!

Defending, Mr Cunnigham told the court how the author of the veterinary report pointed out that the difficulty might not lie with the dog, rather its owner.

Mr Cunnigham read direct quotes from the report which stated that Hunter – who has an analagous conviction involving a Japanese Akita – is “not a responsible dog owner” and that the dog is regarded as a “level four biter.”

Who knew there was a scale? Not me!

Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane said: “My options are quite limited and right now, they are quite clear.”

Finally, a judge with balls! Well, kind of.

It can't have been difficult, however. This is the usual type of dog, and the usual type of dog owner:

It took the witnesses in the street to shout at Hunter to do something about the attack before she finally intervened to halt the canine.

Well, of course.

Hunter sobbed in the dock as Sheriff McFarlane ordered the destruction of the dog with the requirement that Hunter hands the dog in to the police within 24 hours.

And if she doesn't, what will happen? Who will verify that the dog she hands in is the right dog?

Karma Came For Karma....

The attack happened outside Vanessa De Alvia's home in Canberra on Thursday while she was at the shops.

Her terrified children were looking on as the 'hero with a bat' turned up and started laying blow after blow into Karma, the family pet.

In an effort to prevent said 'family pet' killing someone else's family pet! 

Not because he mistook the beast for a stray bouncing googly....

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms De Alvia said: 'They got out and grabbed the pug. It looks bad in the footage but they were just playing with it like a tug of war like she was a toy.'

Ah, yes, the 'they are only playing!' defence. Watch the footage. They are not playing.

'My neighbour, the lady, called for her partner to help her separate them as she had the baby.'

'Then hero with a bat came and started swinging. We don't know him, have never seen him before.

'My son tried to tell him to use water but he ignored it then hit my dog until she died.'

I bet there's lots of bereaved owners of now-dead pets that would be only too happy to have 'hero with a bat' turn up in their hour of need, don't you?

She says she hopes "he gets everything thrown at him" for the attack.

Rose petals, keys to the city, plaudits..?

Ms De Alvia added: 'Well my son's traumatised he tried to tell the man what to do but he didn't listen and did what he wanted to do.'

She hopes more awareness will come of what has happened so far.

'People need to listen. My son tried to tell him he ignored it,' Ms De Alvia said. Violence against animals is not necessary and its not right.'

It shouldn't be necessary, you're right. People should be more responsible. That means you, love.

There Has To Be More To This Story...

Four men who beat a dog owner with a golf club and pool cue because he put a bag of dog poo in their bin have been jailed.

The victim suffered a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain in the attack in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, on 7 July.

His dog was swung by its lead and beaten with wood.

What sort of animals are these?

Paul Hands, 38, who planned the attack, was jailed for 13 years for assault. Three others were jailed for up to 11 years. At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Darren Barnfather, 51, of Holebottom, was sentenced to 11 years for assault. John McCarthy, 52, was jailed for two-and-a-half years. Darren Bagnell, 51, of Hilton Cresent, Ashton-under-Lyne, also got two-and-a-half years.

 Harsh sentencing (for the modern UK). That says to me this wasn't their first offence.

Det Con Simon Cropper, of Greater Manchester Police, said the "vicious" attack was over "such a trivial matter".

Yet fails to utter the usual platitudes about this being 'an isolated offence'...

I Can Think Of Another Way It Could Have Been Avoided, Megan....

Southwark Crown Court heard he was known to have a history of standing in the path of moving vehicles, an issue known to both duty holders which they failed to address adequately.

By finding him other work, perchance?

The court also heard both the council and Veolia failed to take into account the specific capabilities of this vulnerable worker and to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure his safety working within a high-risk environment.

One has to ask why they took him on in the first place. Was it because his value as a tick in the 'diversity' box outweighed his other capabilities?

Speaking after the hearing, Health and Safety inspector Megan Carr said: “This serious workplace transport incident could have been avoided if both duty holders had taken the appropriate safety precautions when planning this activity.

“Failing to identify the risks led to this man suffering serious life changing injuries.”

Perhaps it's not just the council & Veolia you should be looking at here, Megan?

"You got to know when to hold 'em..."

"..know when to fold 'em..."

Northamptonshire Police withdrew an order to have the dog destroyed ahead of a hearing at Wellingborough Magistrates' Court.

The court ruled that Muppet, a lurcher-whippet crossed with a Staffordshire bull terrier, should be muzzled at all times while in public.

Yes, I knew it'd be worth keeping an eye on this case.

Police had initially proposed to have the dog put down and had twice asked Mr Penfold to sign a voluntary destruction order. When he refused, the case was sent to court.

However, before the hearing on Thursday, Mr Penfold and the force reached an agreement that such an order would not be made as it was "completely out of character for Muppet".

Magistrates also ordered that the dog must be secured to prevent escape and controlled while in public by someone over 16. They also ordered Mr Penfold maintain third party insurance for the dog.

Seems poker's not your game, cops. You blinked.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Penfold said it had made his Christmas to be reunited with "placid" Muppet in December after not seeing him since he was seized last February.

Ah, well, it's only taxpayers' money, after all.

Vile Creature...

The Magistrates accepted her remorse and acknowledged that the situation was tense for everyone involved.

Well, really? For the injured party and the scum on trial, yes. But for vastly different reasons.

She was given a six week sentence, suspended for 12 months. She also must complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

What sort of work is she capable of? Maybe cleaning out the disabled toilets in a care home, perchance?

With her tongue.

When Someone Tells Someone Else To 'Go Home If You Don't Like It Here'...

...and they are named 'Funmi'.

Unsure If This Is Advertising, Or A Public Warning...

Does the photo give a clue as to which it is?

Flee! FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!

Wait, What...?

Fish are mammals now...?!?

Sunday Funnies...

Wait, only six...?

Blaming The School For Your Own Parenting Failure...

A parent is outraged after her son's school told students....

Wait, wait! I'm not ready yet!

*fetches popcorn, settles in*

OK, begin!

...they would not be allowed to buy lunch in the canteen unless they were wearing blazers.

Seems an easy fix, then. Tell junior to wear the blazer.

Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley confirmed to News Shopper the rule was to "encourage students to wear their blazers".

Why aren't they wearing their blazers? No-one seems to have a good reason not to...

One parent believes the condition is too severe. The mum told News Shopper: "By all means punish a child with detention. But to deny them food when some haven't even had time for breakfast is abuse of authority and also of the child."

If junior 'hasn't had time for breakfast', that's not the fault of the school, is it? Especially when the solution is within your own hands. Tell junior to wear the blazer! Sorted!

"Bishop Justus is a Christian school with Christian values, yet denies a child to eat as a form of punishment."

I seem to remember quite a lot about obeying authority in the Bible. Did you skip those bits?

"If the child is diabetic and needs to eat this could cause many problems with health."

Yeah, fairly sure the school's thought of this one. Bet there's a big increase in diabetic kids next term!

"For this to be allowed in a day and age where people are struggling to afford food, parents are hoping their child is eating at school."

If you're hoping that the school is feeding your child because you can't (more likely, won't...) you've got bigger problems that school policies on uniforms.

"My child shares their lunch with children that have been denied food. Some have left crying. This effects children's energy moods and also their studying."

Then tell junior to WEAR THE BLOODY BLAZER!

Words No Longer Mean What They Used To....

Mr Stephenson - described as a happy, carefree “rock” for his family, and a boy with a “really big heart” - was found dead at the scene in a trench by roadworks.

Another angle in hevven....

His mother had said to him hours earlier: “Don’t take the bike out tonight my lad. Be a good lad for your mam.”

He said: “I won’t mam.”

Oh, it's like the death of little Nell..!

Prosecutor Richard Bennett said: “Unfortunately, Sonny ignored his mother’s advice that night.”

He rode the Yamaha Diversion, modified with false plates, a loud engine and no front lights or back brakes, while wearing a balaclava and casual clothes but without protective clothing or a crash helmet.

A boy with 'a really big heart', but not, clearly, two brain cells to rub together.

And his appointment in Samarra fast approaching in the form of one totally fed-up citizen.

Peter Makepeace QC, defending, said: “He accepts that he is fully, completely and solely responsible to blame for that death.

“His actions were unbelievably stupid, unbelievably reckless and grossly criminal.”

And one might ask why he didn't leave it up to the police, who are paid to resolve anti-social behaviour. One might ask, indeed...

But he didn't.

He said Buckworth acted after feelings of “powerlessness”, community concern and distress built up in the preceding months over misuse of powerful motorbikes converted into “joy-riding tools”.

One might think that the police should be targeting these sorts of criminals. One might think, indeed...

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, said the sentence might “satisfy no-one” and could never compensate for the loss or help overcome the grief.

He said Buckworth - described as a normal, decent, hard-working family man with two children - was affected by anti-social behaviour and acted under a degree of provocation.

But he told him: “Nothing could have justified what you did.

“What you did was to decide to teach him a lesson.

“This was not an impulsive act. There was some thought given to what you did.”

Whereas there was no thought given to anything by Sonny, ever. Or by Sonny's useless 'parents'.

Yet his departure from the world is considered 'a great loss'. And this verdict is considered 'justice'.

I think I need a new dictionary.

The Barbed Wire Fence Wasn't A Clue Then..?

Vanessa Newman, 51, was walking her dogs Dolly and Coco in a field near her home in Newhaven when she stopped to feed some carrots to the horses.

A horse pushed her aside and trampled on six-year-old miniature schnauzer Dolly and her three-year-old chihuahua cross Coco. Dolly broke her neck in the attack and later died.

It makes a change from the other way around...

She said: “I have never stopped to feed the horses before with the dogs.”

Really? What stopped you?

“I grabbed them both and got to the fence and lifted them both carefully over. Then I climbed over the barbed wire fence myself.”

Ah. Maybe that?

“I blame myself. But I don’t think aggressive horses should be kept in fields which the public can walk through.”

'Can walk through' only after they've crossed the fence designed to keep them out?

In case you were wondering....

Well, it IS Brighton!

Well, My Irony Meter Just Exploded. Again.

Speaking as a member of the Green Party, Councillor Pete West said: “According to the council, there is no scope for warning before fines.

“Green councillors have received a great many complaints from both residents and small businesses who have been at the receiving end of a heavy-handed approach being taken by 3GS on behalf of the council.”

Green councillors complaining about onerous and heavy handed demands on the public!

What next? Labour Party councillors whining about an increase in vibrancy in their neighbourhoods?

Death Of A (Promising) Footballer...

Daniel Namanga was 19 when he was stabbed in the chest in a late night attack outside Afrikiko Nightclub in on August 8 in Old Kent Road.

It took the jury only two hours to reach a verdict to find Dickson Tangu guilty of murder, with Met Police saying he showed "a complete disregard for human life, including whilst at court".

The Wimbledon teenager, who played youth football with Kingstonian FC, had been with friends at the club when he became involved in an altercation outside.

Tangu, 22, chased Daniel and stabbed him in the chest, fleeing the scene before police arrived as the young man collapsed in the street.

A young thug stabbing a wholesome young man, then?

So...one wonders why the photo of the deceased in the newspaper shows him flashing gang signs....

Police made eight other arrests in connection with this investigation but they were all released with no further action.

Hmmmm.....

"'She has five children under 10 and is about to have another..."

And who's paying for the irresponsible breeding of the bitch?

Well, dear reader, if you're a taxpayer....you are!

Magistrates handed Bennett a 12-month community order with a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement, and banned her from keeping animals for 10 years.

She must also pay a £120 fine, plus £250 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

You're paying that too.

No wonder she left the court with a smile a mile wide on her face.

Glacial Drift Vs Essex Local Council...

...which moves faster?

Fencing has been put up on a piece of green land between Florence Road and Oxford Road, Canvey. The green has been described as a ‘utopia’ by some residents, who allow their children to play on the open space safely within site (sic) of their homes. The area is popular with dog walkers as well.

Castle Point Council has confirmed there is no planning permission in place for the work, and insisted it will investigate the issue at the earliest possible date.

Which shouldn't take too long, should it? Or should it?

This being Essex, the culprit has got her retaliation in first:

An elderly woman told how she has been “bullied and victimised” by her neighbours after fencing off a green next to her house.

'Poor me, I'm a victim!'

The resident believes she is doing nothing illegal by fencing off the area, as it is unclaimed land.

She said: “I spoke to a solicitor who had been dealing with land disputes for over 30 years.

“He told me it was unclaimed land so if I fenced it off I could register the land with the land registry, and in 12 years I would become the owner if no-one came forward.”

I guess you forgot to tell him you weren't a member of a certain protected class of Caravan Utilising Nomadic Travellers, then?

...now Carol feels like she is being bullied by neighbours who haven’t attempted to discuss the issue, but preferred to trade insults and damage her property.

I don't recall you 'discussed the issue' with anyone yourself, before you started fencing off the land, did you?

...Castle Point Council has disputed that the resident was legally free to fence off a section of the open space. A spokesman from Castle Point Council said: “The land is public open space and has been maintained by the council for many years.

“The resident has no right to fence the land.”

Perhaps she's counting on you taking as long as you usually do before acting?

What About The Authorities Who Showed An Equally Arrogant Disregard...?

They, after all, take a salary to protect public safety. Not something that could be said of Mr Joseph:

A father-of-three who showed an ‘arrogant disregard’ for the safety of his neighbours was yesterday jailed for 10 years after his dangerous dog mauled one of them to death.

What did the authorities do? Well, it seems they did....nothing.

Aaron Joseph, 30, ignored a court order to impose controls on his bull terrier type dog Alex, who had mauled four people in a communal garden outside his flat in separate incidents.

Nor could it be said they imposed them just a few days before the final attack, either!

Joseph, a courier and semi-professional footballer, had a Dog Control Order imposed on him by magistrates four years earlier which meant Alex should have been neutered, micro-chipped, muzzled in public and insured.

Yes, four years. I know public sector workers need to be timed with a sundial rather than a stopwatch in time and motion studies, but even so, that must be some sort of record...

Yet he did nothing and the council dog warden only ordered him to abide by the court order five days before the fatal attack.

That man should have been in the dock too. As should the police.

Police were also investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct because officers seized Alex due to concerns she was a banned pit bull terrier only to return her to Joseph seven days before Mr Ellam was killed.

That was their primary concern, it seems. Not an assessment of the danger it posed. Just whether it came under the narrow description of a 'pitbull'.

Yet the new legislative powers to deal with dangerous dogs regardless of breed that they and other public sector leeches had whined that they needed to do their jobs properly had already come into effect.

Joseph has nine previous convictions for offences including cannabis possession, supply of heroin and possession of an offensive weapon.

The offensive weapon charge presumably not being related to the dog. Yet one glance at it (and at how it was kept, and the type of person who owned it) would have told anyone that that's exactly what it was.

In her evidence the victim’s devastated partner Claire Josling was asked about the actions of the authorities. She said Mr Ellam ‘didn’t feel they had done enough.’

They didn't actually do anything, did they? Oh, sure, they imposed conditions, but they then did the square root of f*** all to ensure that they were complied with, so they may as well have done absolutely nothing.

The judge said Joseph would serve half his 10 year term in custody and also banned him from having custody of a dog for life.

Which he'll obey. Of course. Just like he did the others.

So, why was the owner the only one in the dock? He shouldn't have been, should he?

Oh, We're Listening, All Right...

...it's just that we all know you're talking utter bollocks:

Ed Willis, 27, a rough sleeper on St James’s Street, said: “It’s got to the point where I’d rather die on the street than live in a hostel.

“I can’t even live in my home town.

“I sit here with a razor blade cutting myself and people just walk past. How much does one person have to suffer for people to care?

“I blame everyone in authority - even the Queen.”

 Of course you do....

He said the main reason homelessness is on the rise in the city is that rough sleepers are increasingly moving to Brighton from other cities.

Of those spoken to, two were from Blackburn, one from Newcastle and another from Glasgow.

Because Brighton is attractive to them. Why would they come otherwise? So there must be lots of people listening.

For Once, The Local Council Might Actually Be The Answer...

Shoebury councillor James Moyies warned dog owners to take responsibility for their dog or face the consequences.

He said: “I have been walking my dog there for 11 years and during that time and haven’t really had any problems but people have to have their dogs under control at all times.

“If these incidents keep on happening we will have to bring in a by law to deep dogs on leads at all times. This sort of thing is just not acceptable.”

Indeed not. And who will deal with it? Not the people paid to do so, that's for certain...

Police are investigating both incidents. Police were contacted about the latest incident on Monday at 1.30pm. A police spokeswoman was unable to respond in time.

There's a surprise, eh?

Mark Well This Name....

...you'll be seeing it again:

A man who attacked a teenager with a hammer in a Brighouse park after he "looked at him in a funny way" has been spared jail.

Was it a robbery? A falling out amongst friends?

Ryan Thomas-Rothery, 22, set about 18 year-old Ben Croft when the pair met in Wellholme Park on August 27 last year.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington told Bradford Crown Court that Mr Croft had been with a group of friends when Thomas-Rothery approached them and tried to make conversation.

Hmmm...

He was said to have offered the group some MDMA, or ecstasy, and when they refused, the court heard that the defendant poured a bag of the drug into a can of lager before then drinking it.

*alarm bells*

Mr Adlington said Thomas-Rothery then started talking in a "strange manner", talking about killing people and burying them on the moors.

As the group continued to ignore him, Thomas-Rothery was said to have approached Mr Croft before hitting him repeatedly over the head with an eight-inch glass hammer.

Yikes! How's he going to get out of this one?

Stephen Wood, mitigating, said his client had apologised to Mr Croft immediately after the attack and then again via an e-mail.

He said a psychological report into Thomas-Rothery had identified "serious concerns", with a recommended treatment programme of "mentalisation-based therapy."

He's already mental, mate!

Imposing a suspended jail term, Judge David Hatton QC told Thomas-Rothery he must engage with the probation service or face being sent to custody.

He said: "This was a particularly serious assault, entirely unprovoked, and in public in the presence of others.

"You struck him about the head. Happily, on the evidence I have seen, the effects were relatively short-lived."

Referencing the findings of the psychological report, he said: "You are a young man who has had, to say the least, a number of problems not of your own making for a large part of your life."

Yes. He's the victim.

Peak Absurdity Has Now Been Reached!

The new Peter Rabbit film is facing a boycott over a scene in which a gang of bunnies attack a man with blackberries...

Eh..?

...knowing he is allergic to them.

Oh, for the love of...! I can guess who is demanding a boycott! And I'm not wrong:

Several groups representing allergy sufferers have condemned the scene, prompting the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit on social media.

Australian group Global Anaphylaxis Awareness and Inclusivity (Globalaai) has created a petition asking distributor Sony Pictures to apologise, saying the film “mocks the seriousness of allergic disease and is heartbreakingly disrespectful to the families of those that have lost loved ones to anaphylaxis”.

I'd like to think Sony Pictures will tell them to sod off. But we know they won't.

The American group Kids with Food Allergies Foundation said in a Facebook post warning parents about the film that “food allergy ‘jokes’ are harmful to our community”.

You aren't 'a community', you're just the spokegroup for people with a disorder!

Wouldn't your time be better spent looking for a cure, instead of something to be outraged about?

Remake Of 'The Birds' Not As Scary....

...unless you're a mouse. Are you a mouse, Brian? 

...and those straps are called 'jesses', you big girl's blouse!

That's Some Sort Of Census Crossover Role, Is It?

/facepalm

Sunday Funnies...

Remember, folks, keep it simple....

"I don't think we're in Kansas family court any more..."

She was unhappy about the presence of a reporter in court and asked: 'Can I object to the press being here?'

Nope! This is grown up court, love. What are you being done for, anyway? Parking ticket?

Prosecutor Me. Terence Enewman (sic) told the court: 'It was 2.45pm when police were called by a member of the public to reports of a female armed with a knife.

'In Tenterden Drive they saw the female had a glazed expression and was red-dot challenged with a taser because a knife was sticking out of her jacket pocket.

'She reached for her pocket and the taser was deployed, but was ineffective.'

A bodyworn police camera showed the taser striking Freedman, but having no obvious effect. She had a cut to her finger and was taken to the local Royal Free due to her aggressive and erratic behaviour.

Ah.

She told the court: 'I went into a state of shock and panic when stopped by the police and I went into a seizure.'

'At the hospital I was anxious and worried and I accept I was reckless, it was not a deliberate assault on the officer and was brought on by my phobia.'

A phobia of being arrested? Good one! Doubt it's going to work, though...

Freedman claimed in court that this is because she has a phobia of police officers, she offered a GP's note to support this.

Gosh, I think now we know why the DWP is so suspicious of GPs certifying some people as disabled, don't we?

She is also currently subject to a suspended sentence from Harrow Crown Court for a racially-aggravated public order offence and has another conviction for causing criminal damage.

Wait, how come she's still allowed to practice law? Still, with that hanging over her, it's a spell in chokey for sure this time, right? 

She was sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and must comply with ten days of Probation Service-ordered rehabilitation.

*sighs*

Outside she said: 'These stories about me are ruining my life. I'm a solicitor for God's sake and I have not done anything wrong.'

Ummm....

H/T: The Ranter via Twitter

Remember This Column Next Time The 'Guardian' Runs A Story....

...about people abusing the emergency services:

I called an ambulance myself last month. I’d developed flu complications suddenly after work and couldn’t breathe. In central London on a Friday night, I knew the service would be strained but, as the minutes went on, I worried whether they would get to me in time. I ended up calling 999 three times due to the wait; in the end, paramedics got to me after about 45 minutes (time blurs when you can’t breathe).

Yes, it's everyone's favourite shroud-waver, Frances Ryan there, who admits to calling repeatedly for an ambulance because she 'couldn't breathe'. For 45 minutes.

Which must be some sort of new record.

I was lucky in the end. I was at least well enough to take myself to A&E a day later for the tests I needed and had the family support to recover at home. But I can’t help but be struck by a worrying thought: rather than the NHS being a safety net, nowadays it’s as if it isn’t safe to be sick.

Clearly it is, because you're still gobbing off in the CiF columns.

A Date For The Diary...

Carl Thomas Richardson, of Rose Lane, Holme Slack, Preston, will face a trial over two charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

The 36-year-old is accused of causing unnecessary suffering to his female cross-breed dog, which is named Pepper, in an incident on August 23, 2017, when it is said he kicked her.

Not just 'kicked her'....

The case was brought by the RSPCA charity after a Lancashire police officer who was responding to an incident allegedly saw Richardson “drop-kicking” the animal.

The dog is said to have flown through the air and landed on the other side of the road.

Typical low-life. Typical lame excuse:

Defending, Paolo Passerini said his client was putting forward a ‘self-defence’ argument.

Wha..?

He added: “He says he was victim of an assault immediately before the incident - he was knocked to the ground and someone stamped on his head.

“He saw a dog coming towards him and struck out to keep it away, assuming it was being set on him.”

Seems whoever they were, they didn't stamp on his head hard enough!

A trial date has been fixed at the same court for March 9.

Cam't wait to see how that one goes down.

There's Madness Here All Right...

Seamus Boyle, 27, of Albemarle Close in Grays, called Essex Police on November 7, 2016, from a payphone in Basildon town centre to tell them that he felt distressed and paranoid and was in possession of a firearm along with ammunition and that they must come down and confiscate it from him, stipulating that they would not be harmed.

With that, armed police rushed to the scene to arrest Mr Boyle.

As you would expect!

The court heard how only around 25 minutes prior to him calling the police, at roughly 10:10pm, Mr Boyle visited Basildon Police Station in an attempt to hand in the gun but it was closed.

Ooops!

He approached a police officer dressed in plain clothes who had finished her shift and asked her if the station was closed.

She replied that it was and that if he wanted to report a non-emergency crime he should call 101 or send the police an email, but she did not explicitly announce that she was a police officer.

He subsequently made the phone call in Basildon town centre that led to his arrest.

Boy, was her face red!

Mitigating Boyle was Jon Harrison, who told the court that Boyle had "obtained the gun for protection and believed that people were coming into his home" but that he later felt a "sense of danger" having it in the home around his family.

Mr Harrison also said that Boyle claimed he "obtained this firearm by magic and magic made him do what he did."

Boyle saw numerous psychiatrists who all assessed him as not suffering from an acute mental illness.

Hmmmm, OK, if you say so!

Boyle was sentenced to four years, which includes the 14 months he has spent in custody since his arrest.

It's taken over a year?! I know who is bonkers in this whole sorry tale, and it's really not Seamus!

"Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself."

Armed officers swooped on the graveyard in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, after being alerted by a taxi driver who had ferried Couse there from his nearby home.

Airdrie Sheriff Court was told cabbie Christopher O’Neill reported seeing a gun and ammo during the ride to Coltswood Cemetery.

Couse, who had been drinking, was cuffed and taken to Coatbridge police office where he told officers: “I’ve not done anything wrong.

“I’m a ‘gyppo’ and it’s a tradition. I just shot three rounds over my ma’s grave and you cannae charge me with anything.”

And that wasn't the only thing he got wrong!

Prosecutor Agnes Meek said Couse, 50, in fact fired five shots in tribute to his late mother, Isabella Forrester, 67.

/facepalm

Sheriff Petra Collins deferred sentence for reports until next month and released Couse on bail.

What sort of reports?

Oh, She's Barking, All Right..!

Olubusola Ogunlowo, who lives in Ripple Road, has launched a petition calling for people who have grown up in the UK without holding a British passport to be allowed to remain in the country, progress into higher education and work.

Gosh, I wonder why she wants to see illegal immigrants given the right to live & work here? It's a puzzle, isn't it?

After years of state funded schooling it does not make sense to then cut off all opportunities available to undocumented youngsters once they reach working age, she argues.

“I have met a lot of people in that situation,” she said. “They can’t get a job, they can’t go to university.”

The government “wash their hands” of the youngsters once they reach adulthood, she added.

They shouldn't do that, she's absolutely right. They should find and deport them!

Ms Ogunlowo adds that when young people have no prospects and nothing to keep them busy it can lead to them becoming involved with crime and anti-social behaviour.

Ah, the inevitable moral blackmail.

Ms Ogunlowo is submitting her petition on the official government website, meaning if it gets 10,000 signatures by June there will be an official government response.

If it gets 100,000 signatures it will be considered for a debate in parliament.

The petition has got more than 450 signatures so far, having only started last week.

It's a pity you can't vote these things down, rather than just up.

"You've got to be taught, from year to year, it's got to be drummed In your dear little ear...

"...you've got to be carefully taught."

Deputy headteacher Lesley Brookes said: 'A healthy start in life for all our pupils is very important to us and this has been part of the school's ethos for many years.

'Based on guidelines from Public Health England's Change4Life Campaign, and in accordance with our aims within the Food for Life Programme, this includes promoting water and milk as a healthy alternative to juice.

'On one occasion, children volunteered to dispose of their juice and have water instead, for which they were praised for their healthy choice of drink.'

Raising the sanctimonious little prigs of the future, one school at a time.

This Is Why People Have No Faith In The Justice System...

York magistrates heard that Julie Ross’s American Akitas, called Sugarpuff and Irene, have injured other dogs, including attacking a Staffordshire bull terrier.

City of York Council welcomed the dog control orders made against the 53-year-old mother and warned all owners they must train and supervise their dogs properly, urging the public to report cases of dogs attacking dogs or people.

Most people will shrug and say 'What's the point?' And who could blame them?

It brought the civil court case against Ms Ross, of Whitecross Road, off Haxby Road, York. She did not contest the orders.

For her, Liam Hassan said she behaved responsibly by paying the vets’ bills for the dogs her pets injured.

That's pretty shameless.

But this 'victory' won't stop the authorities crowing that they have done something about the menace, of course!

Cllr Sam Lisle, the council's executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods, said: “Dog ownership comes with a responsibility to properly train and supervise pets at all times. This case shows the dangers a lack of proper control can lead to.”

Ms Ross could be prosecuted and banned from having dogs if she breaks the order.

Why was she not already banned? Because, just like drivers who continually flout orders banning them from getting behind the wheel of a car, the 'punishment' in this case is....yes, you guessed it.

Another order she'll flout just like the last ones.

Victoria Waudby, for the council, told magistrates that police conditionally cautioned Ms Ross in April 2016 after her male dog, Sugarpuff, injured another dog.

In March 2017, following another attack by her dog in November 2016, she signed a written undertaking to get behavioural therapy for Sugarpuff and keep him under control, but she didn’t comply with the undertaking, the court heard.

At 10am on August 1, 2017, Sugarpuff and Irene ran out of her property to attack a Staffordshire bull terrier being taken for a walk by its owner, said Mrs Waudby.

Sugarpuff grabbed the terrier’s genitals and Irene had it round the neck and had its ear in its mouth.

Why bother with orders that attract no harsher punishment for failing to comply?

They'll Never Learn, Like Their 'Father'...

Daniel Bourne, 24, of Greenwich Road, Lewes, did not make sure six year old Mackenzie Bourne, seven year old Danny Puttick and eight year old Summer Puttick, went to East Hoathly Church of England Primary School regularly enough between February and October last year.

Brighton Magistrates' Court was told Bourne, also failed to make sure 15 year old Nancy Ripley attended Kings academy Ringmer between March and September.

That's quite some collection of names there!

Bourne failed to turn up at court on December 20 to explain himself and was ordered to pay a total of £967 by today.

Like 'father', like....

Here We Go Again...

A Melton woman whose terrier was viciously attacked by another dog and required life-saving surgery is angry that police declined to investigate the incident.

She was told by officers that it was a matter for the council to look into...

The usual fobbing off that must have served them well in the past, before they got the increase in legislative weaponry that they claimed they needed in order to act...

Melton MP Sir Alan Duncan is backing her case and has demanded police launch an investigation into the incident to ensure the safety of residents and their pets.

Well, quite! He might well have added 'Why ask for tools you seem reluctant to then use?'

Blossom’s owner added: “The whole incident was horrific. I have been to the police station but they said it was a matter for the council although I thought I was in danger as well, and was extremely frightened.

Let's look at that link again:

Seems pretty clear to me. How about you, reader?

“It was so upsetting that a dog of this size could be on the loose in Melton town centre and the police are not willing to investigate.

“This could have happened to a child or an elderly person which does not bear thinking about.”

I'm not sure why this is always trotted out as if it were some trump card that will get plod off their backsides, it doesn't matter that it wasn't a child or an elderly person..!

A spokesperson for Melton Council said: “These incidents do not happen that often...”

My blogtag is here to prove you wrong!

Leicestershire Police were unable to respond before we went to press.

They seem unable to do anything quickly, don't they?

The New Narrative....

The 17-year-old boy was found not guilty after the emergence of thousands of social media messages proving his innocence that police officers had failed to uncover.

He was expelled from his school in Leicestershire in 2016 following his arrest at the age of 15, according to The Times.

C'mon, seriously, who really thinks the police 'missed' any of this?

Do they really think 'Look, we're incompetent, OK?' is going to go down better for them than 'Look, we're under orders to get rape convictions no matter what.'..?

A spokesman for the CPS said: "We have a duty to keep cases under continual review.

"In March 2017, as part of the charging decision, the CPS requested that police investigated social media interactions, but were informed that no messages existed.

"As a result of new material made available to the CPS in November 2017, further reviews of the case were undertaken."

You don't tell someone 'no messages exist' if you haven't looked, and realised they do and they blow your case out of the water, or you'd be found later on to be lying liars. Which is just what's now happened.

This stinks. Heads should roll.

Critics say DPP Mrs Saunders has still not got a grip on the problem, after she declared that police did not always have to look for evidence on social media or mobile phones.

'We don't ordinarily trawl through people's lives,' she said. 'If people have known each other for a day, you might look at the texts between each other on that day or perhaps a day after.

'But you wouldn't and couldn't, without a huge amount of resources, completely download a phone and trawl through it all.'

Does this barmy old bag not understand how social media works, then? The stuff is rarely hidden! It doesn't take a Herculean effort.

The Fruit Doesn't Hang Much Lower Than This...

A dog owner has been hauled into court today after his 'dangerously out of control' pet chihuahua called Louie bit a postie on the ankle and left her needing hospital treatment, a court has heard.

She went to hospital...?!?

The trial of a man accused of owning a “dangerously out of control” dog after his chihuahua allegedly bit the ankle of a postwoman ended in deadlock after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

Too busy laughing, I expect.

A hearing on February 7 will be held to decide if the prosecution will seek a retrial.

What a waste of time and money...

H/T: alfred stone via email

Ladies And Gentlemen, Be Upstanding....

...for the new media.

What an amazing world we live in, where we no longer have to accept the drip feed of controlled news. No longer get told only what they want us to hear.

Interesting times, indeed.

They're A Bit Harsh On Sex Offenders In Australia...

...oh, wait. I think they must just not know how to spell grouper.

Update: I am assured by readers that that is actually the correct term in Australia. Fancy! Who says blogs aren't educational?

Sunday Funnies...

Can't help feeling that PR girl at Wilsons should get a huuuuge pay rise!

The Ticking Time Bomb You Could Be Adopting...

A police team set up to combat hare coursing in Lincolnshire has said its policy of seizing dogs is helping to reduce offences.

In December, there were 324 incidents of hare coursing, compared to 413 over the same period in 2016.

Since the season started in September, Lincolnshire Police has seized 49 dogs. Ch Supt Mark Housley said: "We have heard from other forces that hare coursers tell them they will not visit Lincolnshire because we seize dogs."

So they'll just go elsewhere. You do euthanise the dogs, right? They aren't pets, they are weapons. Unlikely ever to be trustworthy around smaller animals....

Ch Supt Housley said any seized dogs were cared for in kennels and could be put up for re-homing if ordered by the courts.

*speechless*

Two dogs which had been used in illegal hare coursing have been rehomed. The lurchers, Lucky and Spencer, were seized by police in Lincolnshire when their owners were arrested for hare coursing in Digby Fen last September.

John Langan, 31, of Great Ayton and Thomas Jaffray, 34, of Middlesbrough, were found guilty at Lincoln Magistrates' Court last Friday.

Police said it was the first time hare coursing dogs were rehomed rather than returned to their owners.

And when the inevitable happens, and they kill someone else's pet, I really, really hope that the owners take Lincolnshire Police to the cleaners.

Well, You Won't Listen To Me....

...will you listen to her?

She came to this country in 1998 from her native Congo to escape war and an unsafe political climate in her home country and she speaks with searing honesty about social issues in the UK which she believes have led to young lives becoming cheap.

The grieving mum is angry that her children were taken into care for a short time many years ago after an incident in which she cut her daughter’s hair as a punishment as her own mother had done to her as a child.

Yet when her son was viciously stabbed to death social workers never once paid a visit to check on the family’s welfare.

Of course not! Their work was done, and they'd moved on to another family in dire need of intervention...

She blames social services for removing parents’ power to discipline their children in the way they see fit to set them on the best path in life, and believes that black boys from immigrant families are particularly aware of this.

“After that I felt myself like I’d lost control,” she said of her own encounter with social workers.

“Because my daughter she knows that I can’t do anything. Even Champion, he used to take the phone and say ‘We’ll call social services’.

“The black boys in this country they know they’ve got power with social services. They don’t listen to their parents no more, they’re not even scared of police.”

Feels like I've been pointing this out for some time.

Champion’s killer, who was aged 17 when he carried out the brutal attack, was jailed for 14 years in March after being cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Asked whether she would like to meet her son’s killer, Peguy said: “The only time you can want to meet someone is when the person knows what he’s done. You cannot meet someone who is going to laugh in your face, because they were laughing at me in court.”

It's hardly surprising...

She accused the courts of heeding the human rights of offenders who carry out knife crime but not the victims who lose their lives.

She gets it. Why don't the do-gooders?

And Peguy says prisons should be prisons and not the “holiday homes” she believes they are now “where kids have got a phone, are on YouTube and Facebook, are sending messages to their family anytime they want”.

Well, quite! I bet if she were whinging about racism or police brutality,. she'd be feted in the MSM, not consigned to a local newspaper.

The Camera Never Lies...

PC Patterson, wearing his work uniform, did not speak at the hearing.

He did, in his statement of the arrest, admit punching the boy with a closed fist and applying pressure, multiple times, behind his right ear.

The defence claimed the boy was “extremely hard to control” which is why PC Patterson believed his actions were appropriate. The father was “not overly concerned” about his son’s behaviour despite calling 999, the panel was told.

This would normally be a cause celebre in the local newspaper, cries of 'police brutality!' from the usual suspects, but for an amazing modern twist:

However, the defence claimed the father “presented himself very differently” on the body-worn camera.

Well, well, well....

They say the teenager’s dad acts like “someone who is terrified” of the behaviour of his own child.

The use of the word 'child' there is willful obfuscation on the part of the reporter, I suspect. The image it conjures up will play no part in the reality facing the cops.

The hearing has been adjourned until April so the panel can hear evidence from PC Patterson’s two colleagues who were with him at the scene - one of which caught some of it on their body-worn camera.

The usual suspects might have cause to regret their demands for more cameras, once juries get a glimpse of what these 'children' are really like...

Well, Of Course They Are, It's Their Property!

Lana Swan, 57, from Plaistow Close, Whitehawk, Brigghton (sic), has been told she must give up her three-bedroom terraced house for a one-bedroom property after housing officers decided her medical condition did not count as “extremely serious”.

Mrs Swan, whose younger son is a registered full-time carer, can only walk short distances due to arthritis and suffers from agoraphobia and chronic anxiety.

Ah, that old chestnut, 'chronic anxiety'. It's the new 'Ooooh, me back!', isn't it?

Sister Carole Thompson, 54, who is appealing against the decision, said council workers had shown the family “not an ounce of humanity”.

“All they are concerned about is getting this property,” she told The Argus.

Well, yes. Why wouldn't they?

“They’re not interested in her health. She can hardly get up out of her chair.

Then it doesn't matter that she's going to have fewer rooms, does it!

“I feel as if they’re discriminating against her. Mental health is an invisible disability and it should be recognised but they’re not doing that.”

Even the MP is hedging his bets on this one:

Kemptown and Peacehaven MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has formally appealed against the council’s proposal. He said: “There are some issues that the council hasn’t quite taken on board.

“We are working hard to find a solution, whether that means Mrs Swan staying where she is now or moving somewhere better suited.”

Nicely done, Lloyd, nicely done...

“I felt like I wanted the police once again to be able to help but they didn’t have the tools and the power that they needed to be able to do that.”

The killer’s last post was written at around the time a docu-drama about the case was due for release in January 2016.

Ms LaFave told the hearing: “I was reassured that there was no way he could contact me from prison and I then started to get worried he had escaped, because he is capable – he is such a good liar.

“I got worried and called 999, I happened to be in London for the release of the documentary Murder Games and I was told to call the prison and find out if he was still there.”

Because the police and the prison service never speak to one another. Or help a clearly worried murder victim's relative being harassed by a criminal.

“I’m quite sure that I don’t know what prison – I don’t know the number nor would they tell me, because I’m kind of any old person. I then was call-transferred to Surrey where I lived, and had to explain the whole thing over again on the street in a frantic worry that he had escaped.

“In the end he never did get in trouble for it because he did it with the software that anybody can purchase to hide the identity of where the link came from.

“That’s just scary.”

Funny, they certainly do seem to have the power, as DumbJohn reports. When it suits them.

At Last They Are Doing Their Job! Aren't They...?

You'd certainly think so if you glanced at the headline....

But when you actually delve beneath....

Surrey Police seized 98 dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act between 2012 and 2017 with 28 of them euthanised according to figures obtained by Get Surrey via freedom of information legislation.

That's a pretty lousy hit rate.

Officers also seized more than 40 pitbull terriers, which are banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act because they have been bred for fighting, with 10 of them put down.

And that's an even worse one! What about the other 30? Were they deemed 'not pitbulls' after all?

Breeds of dogs seized in Surrey include Mastiffs, Jack Russells, Rottweilers, German Shepards (sic), Huskies and American Bulldogs.

What's the Jack Russell doing in there? Did it bite a midget?

Dog welfare expert Samantha Gaines said: "The RSPCA is opposed to breed specific legislation, which bans four specific types, including the pit bull terrier, because it seriously compromises dog welfare and fails to protect the public.

Who cares about the dog's welfare? They should be dealt with quickly and humanely, with little cost to the taxpayer. God knows, the police have learned that (though naturally, only when it's their arse that might feel the business end of Fido's teeth).

"Aggression in dogs is very complex and there are many reasons why a dog might bite, such as an underlying medical condition or fear of a certain situation. But breed is not a reliable indicator of risk."

Yes, it is. Because size and temperament are a factor. I can boot an attacking chihuahua down the street, I'm in serious trouble if it's an akita or American bulldog.