Tweet Of The Month

Post Title Of The Month

Bucko goes on his hols... 

Quote Of The Month

HeadRambles nails it:

"In America the Supreme Court has declared that the Supreme Court is wrong. This has upset one hell of a lot of people. I can see trouble ahead.

The new craze of randomly shooting or knifing people seems to be catching on.

Putin seems determined to goad someone into starting World War Three.

A bloke in the UK wanted to become a woman so they chopped his balls off and now he wants them back, which they say is impossible. When are these fucking idiots going to realise that you can’t turn a Mercedes into a Rolls Royce just by changing the radiator grill?"

Post Of The Month

Longrider grapples with religion and the people who indulge in it...

'Alexa, What Is A 'PR Disaster'..?'

"Here's something I found on the Internet..."

'Thanks, Alexa, you're a godsend.'

Why Should The UK Taxpayer Be On The Hook?

A woman has described the moment her dog tried to kill her in her own home, leaving her with horrific injuries more akin to a "shark attack".

Her own dog, eh? 

Caroline Fisher, 48, had only just returned to her home in Blackpool, Lancashire, when her Bulgarian rescue dog Metcho turned on her on Thursday June 9.

The 5ft6 Karakachan, which weighs a whopping 12st 8lb, ripped the back off her right arm and mauled her left leg so badly her tendons were left exposed as she battled to escape with her life.

/facepalm 

The carer who lives with her brother Richard said Metcho had only ever been aggressive towards another dog once before and never expected that he could turn on her.

Ah, the old 'He's never done that (to me) before' again...  

A passing neighbour came to her aid and Caroline was rushed to hospital, where she remains awaiting multiple skin and muscle graft surgeries. But her family have slammed Lancashire Police, who they claim didn’t respond to the dangerous emergency for three days.

Wait, what..? 

...her brother, Richard, said: “All they were bothered about was that the dog was in the house.

“They said it wasn’t a priority.

“I had the dog in the back garden but I was worried that he would escape over the fence. 

“The dog warden said the only time they would come out is if social services called them out, they said they don’t come out to a dangerous dog like that for their own health and safety.

“The police finally rang back on Sunday afternoon and said we have seen your sister, we know how bad the attack is, we are going to get the ball rolling.

“The copper that came was actually really good to be fair, he said ‘I can’t believe it has taken this long’

“But they tried to charge me £1,200 to get the dog put down and they asked me if I could get rid of the body.

“I said ‘how am I meant to do that, it’s not a case of just digging a hole in your garden, how am I meant to get rid of an 80kg dog that’s basically just eaten my sister?’”

You pay the vet what he asks to cremate the thing and thank your lucky stars you aren't paying a hell of a lot more for your sister's funeral! 

The dog was finally put down on Sunday evening after three days of Richard being forced to stay upstairs and eat out every night while keeping Metcho locked in the kitchen.

Serves him right! 

Now the family have launched a GoFundMe to help Caroline financially as she will only receive two weeks paid sick leave despite doctors being unable to predict how long she will be hospitalised.

Richard said: “It was like some of them didn’t have a clue some, sounded like they weren’t bothered, the RSPCA just said we’re a charity we don’t deal with this.”

Lancashire Police confirmed that they have since requested that the vet bill for Metcho to be destroyed is invoiced to them and not Caroline's family.

What?! Why should the taxpayer foot the bill for what was a totally self-inflicted incident? Why should strangers pay for this stupid woman's injuries caused as a result of her own stupidity?  

Surely You Have Some Sympathy, Roger..?

The 'Mail' is in one of its fits of 'hunting BAD!' again:

Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, the APPG’s chairman, said the findings ‘kick the bottom’ out of hunters’ claims that they are conserving wildlife and shows that their motivation is ‘self-gratification of the most revolting kind’.

The Kent MP (Ed: surely a typo..?) surely should have more sympathy with hunters putting in the effort to bag that elusive trophy beast, the long hours of patient stalking, waiting for the target to present just the right shot, the crushing of hopes as once again, it slips away silently into the bush, flicking its tail in contempt?

Have a heart, Roger! You clearly relish the thrill of the stalk too! You just haven't got anything to show for it yet...

 

Once Again, Police Incompetence Leads To An Innocent Suffering...

A 75-year-old woman was left covered in blood after a savage dog attack which ripped her scalp down to the skull. Jacqueline McGrew, from Blackburn, has had her nose reconstructed and an operation on her head following the terrifying incident in her neighbour's garden.

Luckily, in this case, the owner's father actually intervened... 

Kia is understood to have attacked Mrs McGrew in the front garden of Mr Gorton's home in Devon Road as she tried to deliver something to the property. Mr Gorton has described prising open the pet’s jaws after it sank its teeth into her head.

He told Lancs Live: “I was upstairs and I just heard this strange noise and I thought ‘what the hell is that?’ “It all happened so quick, I heard all the commotion and ran outside and she was on the ground. The other two dogs were shaking. I had to shove my hands in the dog’s mouth to get her off. Kia is my son Sonny’s dog and he’s had her since she was a baby.”

But don't measure him for a medal just yet. 

David, who has a “Beware of dogs” sign on his gate, added: “The police also took Nala, our two-year-old, even though she had nothing to do with it.

“Kia’s been seized and tested before after she attacked another dog but they gave her back to us and said she wasn’t a pitbull so I don’t understand why they’ve said they’re believed to be pit bull-type breeds.”

There's a picture of them. I can't believe the police thought they weren't... 

Sonny said straight after it happened that he was going to take Kia to the vet to have her put down.

“But we said to wait and let the police deal with it.”

/facepalm 

After Tuesday’s attack a police spokesman said: “A woman aged in her 70s had been attacked by two dogs in the front garden of an address in Devon Road. The woman suffered serious head and facial injuries.”

If you'd acted when they savaged another dog, this woman wouldn't have suffered anything, would she? 

'Determination' Is All Very Well...

,,,but unless it's married to competence, it's worse than useless:

In response to anger over the delays, the Home Office has said 'foreign criminals should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them'.

Really..? 

The truth was revealed when a barrister representing Rauf in his battle against deportation read out a document which she said then Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to Aziz on Hallowe'en 2018.

It revealed that Aziz renounced his Pakistani citizenship on July 13, 2018 - five days before a hearing before the Court of Appeal where he, Rauf and Khan lost their battle against being stripped of British nationality.

As a result, the Home Secretary 'has decided not to make a deprivation order in respect of you', the letter went on - meaning Aziz retained his British citizenship.

These are the people we are trusting with the safety of women and girls? 

Newsflash, Nadeem - We Don't!

The Conservative candidate in the Wakefield by-election has said voters should still trust the Tory party after the jailing of disgraced former MP Imran Ahmad Khan.

Nadeem Ahmed told the Telegraph Khan was "one bad apple".

"We still trust GPs after Harold Shipman killed hundreds of people," he said.

Mainly because we no longer get to see them! 

H/T: Ian J via email

Ah, The Benefits Of Diversity!

Davinder Singh, 38, punched builder Pawel Gorecki to the back of the head, causing him to fall and smash his skull on the pavement in Hythe.

The violence unfolded after Singh stopped to make a delivery and Mr Gorecki’s group took issue with Singh’s parking.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Singh: “You went towards your car but then you walked back towards him and punched him from behind, that was a gross misjudgement.”

She added “subdural bleeds” can be fatal, adding: “You are very fortunate that you are not facing a more serious charge.”

And aren't we so very fortunate to have such astonishing diversity in our criminal justice sysyem? 

The judge heard Gorecki has anger issues in part stemming from a traumatic childhood and, at the height of the pandemic, worked three jobs to help provide for his wife and children.

He has steered clear from trouble during the 20 months since the attack and offloaded two jobs, to reduce stress levels. And probation reports deemed Singh, of Seaway Gardens in St Mary’s Bay, a “low risk of re-offending and causing serious harm to others.”

This is, once again, a case of the CPS picking the low-hanging fruit and giving themselves an easy job... 

Singh was originally charged with causing Mr Gorecki grievous bodily harm with intent after telling police he acted in self-defence but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of grievous bodily harm in April.

Last week he was handed 14 months custody, suspended for two years, ordered to compensate Mr Gorecki £600 and complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

*shakes head* 

Well, At Least It'll Be On...

...for a while there, it was in doubt!

H/T: Dave Ward via email

Stop Aping A Competent Journalistic Outlet, 'Mail'...

It's not known what species of monkey the animal was, nor exactly how big it was.

So a stock photo of a chimp (which isn't a monkey) will suffice? 

The Said family has not yet been pictured.

Glad you cleared that up... 

Sunday Funnies...

Aww, the movies are lying to us all again...

Things You Never Knew About Colditz....

...it had a bar! 

Is it just me, or are today's generation the most dim and self-absorbed ever..? 

Where Were You When Vaccines Were Mandated..?

Outside Thomas's Virginia home, a crowd of several dozen people waved placards, drummed and waved flags. 'My body, my choice!' they yelled, holding aloft posters labelling Thomas a 'treasonous turd' and proclaiming: 'Reproductive rights = human rights.'

Funny, I don't remember protests when covid vaccines were being mandated everywhere, and it was mooted that those who didn't get them should be ostracised from society, do you, Reader?

But let the 'right' to terminate a potential life on a whim be threatened, and suddenly the people who'd cheer that on, without a flicker of self-awareness, are marching outside a Supreme Court judges' house... 

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, spoke from the steps of City Hall on Friday and proclaimed that his city was ready to welcome those women who needed an abortion, but were unable to get one in their home state.

He also revealed that, when he was 15, his then-girlfriend needed and got an abortion. He said he was just back from jail - he was arrested for trespassing because he entered a house to take possessions, feeling he hadn't been compensated for odd jobs - when his girlfriend told him.

What lovely people they elect to high office there... 

'Linda came to me and said, 'Eric, I'm pregnant and look at your life,' Adams said. 'She said Eric, you're arrested, you're not going to school, what future is this baby going to have.'

'She made the decision that was smart for both of us, she made the right call because she was empowered, she was in control.'

Said, once again without a flicker of self-awareness, that if being a convicted thief isn't a bar to success in the modern USA, why should a child be one?

There's Going To Be A Lot Of Analysis...

...but for me, it's this result here that may prove the killer blow for Boris:

The 'Conservative' Party losing a seat they only won by a small majority in a byelection held because their MP got sent to prison for sexual offences is practically a given.

But losing a seat like Tiverton and Honiton is very much not! Perhaps it was the quality of the candidate offered?

There were bizarre scenes when the Tory candidate, Helen Hurford, arrived for the count at a leisure centre in Crediton but hid in a dance studio that had been set aside for media interviews, refusing to speak to reporters. After the declaration, she left the hall immediately without making a speech.

Clearly, we need more women in politics for their unique, errr, ummm, someone help me out here? 

Am I Missing Something Here..?

A Nigerian politician and his wife have been charged with plotting to traffic a homeless 15-year-old boy to Britain to harvest his organs.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, an opposition senator and former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, appeared at Uxbridge magistrates court in west London on Thursday. The couple were arrested on Tuesday at Heathrow airport before they flew to Turkey, the court heard. Both deny the allegations.

...because unless in addition to being a politician and accountant, one of them is also a surgeon, shouldn't there be someone else in the dock with them? 

The couple were remanded in custody until their next court appearance on 7 July.

Presumably because otherwise they'd abscond. Is it me, or does the news get more disturbing every day? 

Well, That's A Relief At Least...

Boakye no longer works in the classroom​...

But the damage is already done.

Racism in education should be treated as a safeguarding issue, with anti-racist policies in all schools in England and training for staff, according to a new book.

Jeffrey Boakye, a black English teacher, author and broadcaster, argues that schools are unsafe places for students marginalised by race, and warns that black children are attending institutions that might “actively contribute to their harm”.

He says issues of social justice, including racism, should be taken as a key performance indicator in schools.

Yes, it's yet another fifth-columnist now making a nice living from the grievance industry: 

Boakye, who now delivers training, talks and consultancy on issues around race, anti-racism and curriculum design to schools, as well as co-presenting BBC Radio 4’s Add to Playlist with Cerys Matthews, also addresses recent moves to decolonise the curriculum in England.

Truly, those who can, do, those who can't, teach...and those with an eye on a lucrative career telling everyone how racist Britain is get showered with public money to do so: 

“Decolonisation is not simply a case of better representation and increased diversity,” he writes.

“Those things are a start, absolutely, but to decolonise the curriculum is to recognise that it exists as part of a system that is rooted in racist soil. Only then can we begin to uproot, and plant something better.”

The question would appear to be, why haven't those majority-black countries already built 'something better'..?  

Yay, Liverpool's Number One...!

NHS data has revealed that two Merseyside areas are among the top five highest hospital admissions for dog attacks in the country.

Four legged ones? Some of the two legged bitches are pretty scrappy too... 

The news comes after two men were attacked in Kirkby, Knowsley, by a lurcher/Bull Mastiff cross at 8.40pm on Saturday, May 21. Police confirmed the dog was signed over to them by the owner and it was then taken to the vets to be humanely destroyed.

No charges for the owner? Reading between the lines in onliine comments, the injured parties were the owners!  

And when there's no real consequences for keeping these things, save what the mutts themselves dish out, why be surprised at their prevalence?

Dr Sam Gaines, from the RSPCA, said: "Research tells us that breed is not an important or reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour in dogs."

*blinks* 

"It is much more about human behaviour and includes how a dog has been managed as well as whether or not they’ve had their welfare needs provided for and the presence of individuals able to intervene in incidents, which is particularly important with children around."

With 'expert advice' like this, it's no wonder we have an epidemic of dangerous dogs, is it? 

Oh, What A Nuisance!

On Friday, AQA said sorry to A-level law students for the "confusion and stress" after questions on nuisance were included in their paper, despite there being no advance warning that the subject would be included in the exam.

Oh no! Poor little snowflakes! Mummy will go to the papers for you about this terrible injustice! 

Coralie Foster, from Bolton, said her daughter was "more angry than upset" at the surprise question in the A-Level law paper on Monday.

She added: "Nowadays these university offers are so high - so the pressure on these kids to get the top grades is immense.

"Advance information was meant to help focus that work, but it's all been completely undermined."

Does she imagine she'll never be faced with the unexpected when she's in court, then? 

H/T: i.r.jackson via email

Let Me Stop You Right There....

The single mother, who pays £1,175 a month for the flat​...

Because if she pays, I'm a Chinaman. We pay. The taxpayer.  

“How are we are meant to live like this? I pay thousands to live with insects and be kept up nearly every night by extremely loud music and screaming from neighbours.

“The only way to describe living here is like living in hell.”

I'm sure those Ukrainians recently evacuated from Mariupol feel your pain... 

“It’s absolutely vile and it’s wrong as a human to be made to feel that I have to just live this way and deal with it.

“After I moved in and realised how bad it was I cried for days and days because I could not believe that I had done, I cannot live like this.”

Well, I guess you know the answer, don't you? 

See What Can Be Done When You Try..?

It remains to be seen if the courts will ensure that this is matched with sentencing, but...isn't it nice to see policing done right for once?

H/T:PeeWee via email 

Where Do They Find Them..?

The 'Guardian' interviews workers and finds....well, read on:

Nick Georgiou, 63, will cycle the 13 miles from Oldham to the library in Manchester where he works part-time.He says the strike will affect some colleagues’ ability to commute, but the disruption caused by industrial action is “a necessary evil”. Georgiou backs the strikes “wholeheartedly”. “There needs to be a reckoning,” he says. “Strikes are last resort. Nobody wants to deny themselves a livelihood, [but] the only thing workers have to withdraw is their labour.”

Anne*, a 53-year-old manager of an NHS mental health team living in south London, is anticipating her whole team being affected by the Transport for London strike on Tuesday and national rail action this week. Anne explains that she feels conflicted between backing the industrial action and the need to support her team and patients and “run a safe service”. Nevertheless, she lays the blame for the disruption with the government. “I wish the government would meaningfully and consistently fund public infrastructure and the key workers who keep our city and society running. I’m tired of services being cut to the bone, everything being done on the cheap and workers being told to simply work harder to fill the gaps.”

Giles Barrett, 38, from London, runs his own recording studio and accepts that he will be affected by the strikes, but will not let that get in the way of his support for striking rail staff. “Nevertheless, I completely support the strike. Collective action is the reason we have a weekend, among many other hard-won rights, and we must never stop fighting for them – capital certainly won’t. We have decided to offer free tickets to any striking workers.”

The strikes mean David Ling, a 69-year-old pensioner, will have to book a night in a hotel in Edinburgh in order to catch his flight to Sweden on Wednesday.The 69-year-old says he has “no hard feelings at all” towards the striking rail workers and supports the strike. “There’s so many problems in this country that are caused by austerity, privatisation and cutbacks that in the end it’s gonna be a reaction. It’s not just the railway workers – it’s teachers and nurses and everything. In the end, something’s got to give. You can’t carry on cutting back and people scrimping and saving. It doesn’t work.”

How do they manage to find the people who support the strike and reflect Guardian views? Who did they interview who didn't make this report, I wonder? And how many of them were there? 

My feelings are a little more pithy:

Once Again, The ECHR Is In The Spotlight...

Judges in London have already ruled that the US's request was lawful and that the American authorities would care for him properly in prison.

Now, the home secretary has carried out her role in the complicated legal process by signing off the US request. Her officials said she was legally bound to do so because Mr Assange does not face the death penalty - nor does his case fall into the other narrow range of categories for her to refuse to approve the transfer.

If his lawyers cannot get a hearing back before judges in London, he could petition the European Court of Human Rights.

Still, it's nice to know there's some people we can deport when we want to, isn't it? 

H/T: Ian J

If You Don't Want To Be Considered A Burglar...

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "It's appalling that this government is intent on treating men, women and children who have fled war, bloodshed and persecution as criminals."

"This draconian and punitive approach not only shows no compassion for very vulnerable people; it will also do nothing to deter those who are desperately seeking safety in the UK."

... then consider knocking on the front door and asking to come in, rather than breaking in via a window in the dead of night.

And I must have missed the war in France, can anyone tell me who is fighting it?

Matt Has His Finger On The Pulse Again...

 

...doesn't he?

'Don't You Know Who I Am?'

The answer seems to be 'Not here at the Grauniad, chum..'! 

Sunday Funnies...

Well, at least she did have an axe...

"Then somethin' changed her mind, her kisses told me..."

Alisha Oakley, 23, walked free from court after a judge ruled that she was suffering from a psychotic episode when she knifed Reece Tyler in the back of the head.

The blade missed his brain by two centimetres, moments after he refused to kiss her at a party at a flat in Dover, Kent.

Yikes! How the hell do you get to walk away free from this? 

At Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday, Oakley was given a two-year jail sentence but suspended for 18 months after pleading guilty to wounding with intent. She must also do six months of drug rehabilitation.

There was no compensation for the victim as she has no way to pay - although she does have a £140 surcharge bill.

It's beyond belief... 

Her barrister, Anna Chestnut, said Oakley has not reoffended since the night of the party, when she was only 19, and is now being treated with antipsychotic medicine. She also said that probation reports deemed her to be at low risk of reoffending but at a medium risk to future partners.

Form an orderly line, gents! 

Norton Fitzwarren - Twinned With Uvalde...

...last night, Detective Inspector Neil Meade defended the force's decision to delay their response despite the severity of the attack taking place in a rural village.

'People might say [around 20 minutes is] a long time but obviously we need to risk assess it', Det Insp Meade explained to the Telegraph.

How lucky for you then, that he didn't decide to slaughter the children sleeping upstairs while you dithered on the doorstep. 

It's another case of the police demanding no-one arm themselves because 'we're here to protect you' and when you need them...well, we all know now, don't we? 

Diddums!

The council responded with a full statement, in which it said the presenter had 'piled in' and that it was 'disappointing that activists should seek to drag down' the council's 'reputation'.

'We've taken a bit of a battering on social media over the past few days over our site near Arc Leisure Matlock — even the naturalist Chris Packham has piled in,' the council said.

'When national activist groups with a huge social media following decide to knock you down you really are on a hiding to nothing, but we believe that local people will understand what we have been trying to do with this piece of land.'

Much as I despise Packham, he's perfectly entitled to have his say on the actions of the council. As is anyone. 

So if local people want to defend the council's actions, they can. Off you go, folks. It's free. It won't cost you a penny. 

Apart from what you're paying to have a social media manager on the council whose only job is to whine when the council gets critiscised, of course...

"You had no reason to think that the dog would behave in this extreme way."

Well, apart from the warning given to you by the 'rescue centre' who sold you the vicious mutt, that is...

The court heard Mr Barge paid the rescue centre in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, £150 for the 10-year-old dog.

Mr Jones added: 'There was knowledge that this dog had a past - it had been trained to be aggressive and had been used in protection and as a security dog.'

But it's perfectly OK to flog it on to Joe Schmoe who walks in off the street with the readies..? 

'Prosecutor Jeff Jones said: 'The dog was trained in Germany and the new owner was told it could easily overstep the mark.

'He was told to keep it away from children's playgrounds and sand pits because it wasn't good with children.'

Do you, Reader, wonder why they too aren't sharing the dock with this idiot?

I Guess We Need To Add 'Windrush Pass' To The Excuse List...

Judge Michael Cullum told Gayle: “You do have previous convictions. However, I accept your mitigation that other people depend on you - and I feel there is a prospect of rehabilitation.”

The judge sentenced Gayle to a prison term of 18 months, suspended for 21 months and imposed a five-year restraining order requiring him not to contact his former partner except through lawyers.

Quite a lenient sentence for beating your lover with a table leg, you might think...

Caitlin Evans, defending, said: “Gayle is aware that this is a very serious matter. In 2015 he was made homeless for three and a half years following the fallout from the Windrush scandal.”

*blinks* 

Why, Heidi? He Did The Country A Favour...

Jurors at Berkshire Coroner's Court heard Mr Medford was strip-searched by officers and he was taken to hospital for a scan to check if the drugs were being concealed internally.

Officers also did not find drugs on a third search of the father of eight after he was taken back to the station.

This is listed in all the usual suspects' social media as 'a death in police custody', and 'another case where the police have killed a black man'... 

CCTV footage from the cell played in court showed him later removing a package from his trousers and swallowing it, which was not seen by the two constables on duty.

It was heroin and it killed the idiot. So while technically a 'death in custody', it was entirely by his own hand. Case closed? 

Heidi Connor, senior coroner for Berkshire, said police should have "done more" and called for a review into how suspected drug users are monitored in custody.

What more should they have done, Heidi? How many more man hours should they have wasted on someone who's passing could only be said to have improved the country and caused a minor uptick in the overall IQ level? 

They Were Here First...

'Local students have already experienced several years of disruption to their studies from the Covid pandemic and are now faced with further disruption to crucial examinations due to ongoing military aircraft activity.

'Teachers and students from Ysgol Botwnnog have voiced their concerns over the ongoing disruption, and it is disappointing that the Ministry of Defence has not been more receptive to their concerns.

'While the Minister for the Armed Forces maintains that the amount of training is limited to that which is essential, I fear this will provide little comfort to students experiencing disruption to all-important examinations, as well as their hard-working teachers.'

Tough. You've known about the training for years. Instead of whining and whinging about the effects of aircraft noise on your precious little flowers, why didn't you soundproof the exam rooms?

Unless of course you're simply shoring up a defence for a drop in the exam rate caused by 2 years of sitting on your arses in your back gardens on full pay while children struggled with remote learning? 

It's Enough To Make You Spit!

Since the country has been experiencing warmer weather, people have begun spotting the strange substance on their garden plants. The froth can often be seen clumped onto plant stems or in a patch off grass and typically looks like ball of froth of foam.

Cuckoo spit. They are talking about cuckoo spit, which has (probably) been around since the start of grasses... 

Homeowners are being urged to keep their eyes peeled and report any sightings of it as it has the potential to be harmful.

What?! 

Though the insects feed on the plants, they don't remove enough nutrition to harm it and they don't hurt humans, so you don't need to do anything to get rid of the spittle.

Well, then why are you trying to panic people..? 

However scientists are worried that a deadly plant disease known as Xyella could be spread between plants by the spittlebug as a carrier.

As the spittlebug is a potential carrier of the disease, scientists are asking people to report any sightings of the foam so that any outbreaks that do occur could be linked and tracked to what causes them.

Ah. Silly me. We have to have a panic about something these days, don't we? 

H/T: Legiron via Twitter

It Disturbs Us All, Judge Daly...

A man with previous for knife crime was arrested with a ‘Zombie’ knife in a sheath beneath his coat.

Josh Abbott, 26, was caught just four months after he was sentenced for a catalogue of offences including weapons possession.

Oxford Crown Court heard he was among a group of men in a car stopped by police in Great Western Drive, Didcot, in the early hours of July 4, 2020.

Someone's not learning, eh? 

Abbott, now of HMP Bullingdon, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of a bladed article. Despite his youth, he had 23 convictions for 68 offences and was currently a serving prisoner.

Well, time to enact that maximum sentence for knife carrying. What is it, five ye... 

Sentencing him to eight months’ imprisonment...

*sighs* 

...Judge Nigel Daly said: “You are on recall. You are not going to get released until next August and realistically speaking the sentence I am going to pass in relation to this offence isn’t going to add to the period you are presently spending in custody.

“But what disturbs me about you is that you have got a huge number of convictions to your name already and you’re 26.

“This offence was committed whilst you were the subject of a criminal behaviour order and only a matter of a few months after you had been given a sentence of imprisonment for a number of offences which involve possession of a knife in a public place – and you went and did it again.”

Well, of course he did! Why wouldn't he, when the consequences are so slight? 

Oooh, I Love A Puzzle!

...I wonder what sort of 'encampment'..? Have the barbarian hordes of Genghis Khan descended on Norfolk?

A KonectBus spokesman, which run the service, said: "We are working in conjunction with Norfolk County Council, South Norfolk Council and other relevant agencies in relation to the caravans on the airport site."

Awww, you gave it away! 

H/T: Dave Ward via email

What's There To 'Assess'..?

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: 'We were called to Gallagher Retail Park in Coventry on Monday June 6 to reports a child had been bitten by a dog. The seven-year-old and her mother who suffered bruising were treated at the scene by paramedics.

'The dog, a German shepherd was seized under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dog Act. An investigation will now take place and the dog's behaviour will be assessed.'

A sustained attack on a child and then, when the child was finally pulled from its jaws, on the mother who leaped in to defend her child, should have seen it taken back to Pets At Home to be destoyed by a vet then and there. Or shot in front of the useless owner by a police marksman.

But no, it gets to sit in expensive kennels for weeks. We're mad in this country.

Karma's A Bitch...

The victim was attacked while walking in London Road late on August 20, 2020. He suffered severe face, head and back injuries during the attack, which involved the use of a machete.

The victim was left blind in both eyes as a result of his injuries. Draper, of Sheepen Road, Colchester, fled the scene along with fellow attacker Sam Jarman-Hall.

Made a clean getaway? Well, no, Reader, not quite.  

But Jarman-Hall somehow injured himself while fleeing and was found with fatal injuries in College Way. He died a week later.

CCTV footage of the incident confirmed he had injured himself with the blade he was carrying.

Gosh, where's my tiny violin?

 Welcome back, old friend!

Draper admitted charges of GBH with intent, affray, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court on April 8.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison, with five years on extended licence.

Why wasn't he charged with attempted murder? 

Do You Need An Atlas, 'Echo' Headline Writer?

Oh..? Which one? Taco Bell? Arby's? Dairy Queen?

Tim Hortons has submitted an application to build a drive thru restaurant in Miles Gray Road.

Errr....it's Canadian.

Notice To Prospective Serial Killers...

...don't try this in Liverpool!

Sunday Funnies...

Lies get round the world before the truth can get its boots on...

Let's Play 'Pass The Judicial Parcel'...

Brandon Hayden, 19, from Penyrheol, Caerphilly, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting owning or being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog.

Amy Salter, 29, of Trethomas, Caerphilly, was jailed for three years for the same offence.

Yes, it's the final pathetic sentence meted out to the brain-dead morons whose animal was responsible for the death of a child.

Later, speaking outside court after the hearing, Jack's mother accused Hayden of showing "no remorse or respect" for her son.

"This has been the consequence of someone wanting a status symbol," she said.

"This animal was not a family pet... it was made to be this way and there was absolutely no intent on anyone calming it from the moment it was born."

She added: "More needs to be done regarding the law to prevent these types of owners and to prevent this situation from happening again."

In which case, why did you let your son visit the house where this thing was staying? It's clear from the other offences that this mutt was well known in the area as a potential danger and...hey, aren't the police supposed to be aware of these things?

What have they got to say?  

Ch Insp Michelle Chaplin, from Gwent Police, the senior investigating officer on the case, said: "Those who had known this dog would have known about its unsuitable temperament and the danger that the animal could pose to a child."

So you - the police - knew nothing? Really? There were no complaints? 

CCTV was played to the court of Hayden and Beast from outside the Top Stores shop in Penyrheol in the days before the attack on Jack, where the dog jumped up at a number of people, including children.

The footage showed Hayden, at times, being dragged along by the dog, struggling to keep it under control. Salter was also in some of the footage. At one point Beast bit her hand, before being hit several times on the head by Hayden after letting go.

A pity it didn't rip her throat out then and there...

Hayden had also admitted three counts of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and two counts of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. These offences happened between 4 and 7 November, before the attack on Jack, and two of those incidents resulted in injuries to two members of the public, Michael Ball and Sian Sullivan.

So the police were well aware. The seller was well aware. The parents of the child should have been well aware. 

But all these escape criticism or punishment for their part in this, while those left holding the parcel when it finally mauled a child to death get paltry sentences. 

Is it just me? Or is this state of affairs almost guaranteed to ensure it happens again. 

H/T: i.r.jackson via email

"What Does An Elected Politician Know?"

"I'm a teacher, and I know best!" 

Yes, it's the fightback against the Attorney General's perfectly reasonable words on the transgender cult:

This prompted criticism from Caroline Derbyshire, the executive head at Saffron Walden county high school, leader of the Saffron academy trust and chair of the Headteachers’ Roundtable – a non-party-political headteachers’ group operating as a thinktank.

She said: “No good can come of any young person being forced to adopt a gender they feel miserable with. It certainly won’t improve their learning.”

Can any good come of allowing, nay, encouraging a child to believe it can change its sex? 

Braverman also said girls’ toilets and changing rooms had legal protections as safe spaces if a scenario arose where a child born male wanted to use them.

Surely no-one can take issue with this? 

“The availability of single-cubicle gender-neutral toilets and changing spaces avoids anxieties for all those who are not happy with single-sex facilities,” said Derbyshire.

I guess they can! 

“The story is an attempt to whip up an anti-woke culture war, and in schools we are not really interested in this kind of silliness. Young people have been through enough.”

If that's true, it's because the education system put them through it. And now its reaping the 'benefits' of that action and inaction in just the same way as the GPs are... 

Pull The Other One, Love...

Catering student Rhamero had just completed his first day at college when he was attacked.

In an emotional statement, Ms Brown said: “To the court, my boy is just a statistic – another case – but to me this is real life and my beautiful fun-loving, caring, respectable boy who loved his family.

“Rhamero is our youngest son aged 16 and had his whole life ahead of him with so many goals he wanted to achieve. Goals that were taken away from him in such a cruel and horrific way.

“He was looking forward to his first day at college and he enjoyed even just his short time of space there. Rhamero was going to see his friends after college and he never made it home.

Addressing Richards – who can be named after reporting restrictions were lifted – she said: “Marquis, thank you for showing me who you are.

“The last day you got found guilty you did a cut-throat gesture and told me my son had been smoked. So all I can say is thank you for showing your true colours.”

He wasn't the only one who did that, was he, though, Ms. Brown..? 

Prosecutors were not able to outline a motive for the murder but said Rhamero was driving a stolen BMW when Richards approached from another stolen vehicle on Princess Parkway on the late afternoon of September 9 last year.

Oops! 

Richards wielded a knife at the driver’s window in stationary traffic before a high-speed pursuit followed in which Rhamero collided with another vehicle and hit a tree.

Following sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hopkinson, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “These three caused carnage across south Manchester in the lead-up to Rhamero’s death and it’s a miracle that no members of the public were also injured as a result of their reckless driving and acts of violence.”

Just like it takes two to tango, Liz, it takes two vehicles to make a high speed chase. So your maths is a little off. As misplaced as Ms. Brown's tears for her budding criminal son... 

Keeping That Appointment With Karma In Samarra...

A father-of-two died at the same bus stop where he had killed a young woman in a hit-and-run collision eight years earlier, an inquest has heard.

For 'died at', read 'crashed into'. 

The carpenter from Clapham was speeding at 60mph in a 30mph zone before he collided with an advertising board at the bus stop, MyLondon reports.

Mr Davis was thrown nearly 25m onto the opposite pavement, sustaining 'multiple open fractures and massive internal bleeding'.

No better at driving a motorcycle than a car, clearly... 

Coroner Sarah Valentine recorded a conclusion that Mr Davis died in a road traffic collision.

I prefer to think karma finally caught up with him... 

I Always Wondered What A Greased Pig Looked Like...

And now I know...

Magen Hendry, 28, was drunk when she left her front door ajar and her children asleep at 3am on October 25, 2019. One child was of pre-school age and the other at primary school.

Teesside Crown Court has heard how police spotted Hendry's black Audi A9 driving dangerously, on Nelson Terrace in Stockton. Prosecutor Uzma Khan said that the car had no lights on and was seen going through red lights at the junction with Wellington Street; before driving through a second set of red lights at the junction with Victoria Street.

Ms Khan said that police following Hendry lost sight of her Audi, before it was picked up by CCTV abandoned in a car park on Durham Road. Hendry was seen crouching behind a wall. She had covered herself in some sort of grease - thought to be vandal grease - in a bid to hide from police; and her bare feet were bleeding.

/facepalm 

Tabitha Buck, defending, said that social services had been involved since the incident and that a probation report found that Hendry had resorted to alcohol to cope with a crisis in her life.

How's that working out for her? 

Judge Howard Crowson told Hendry that she had been "careless about the welfare of your children and of other drivers on the road." He handed her a two- year supervision order and an 18-month driving ban.

What?! What do you have to do these days? Still, no doubt she kept her head down and thanked her lucky stars for the leni...

Oh... 

Hendry told the judge that there is no school bus and that a taxi to get her children to school was £7 each way. But the judge warned her that if she drove whilst banned, she could end up with a prison sentence.

He should have added on a few months for arguing! 

What Do You Call People Who Wilfully Refuse To Recognise Reality?

You call them 'the authorities'....

The 29-year-old driver - named locally as Gor H. due to Germany privacy laws - was arrested shortly after he ploughed his car into the crowds, killing the 51-year-old teacher, who has not yet been named, and injuring 14 of her students, who are believed to be aged 16 and 17, as his car twice veered onto a pavement in a popular shopping district, officials have said.

Footage shows police leading him to a black BMW and shutting him inside. Just a short distance away, his own car sits buried in the front window of a perfume shop as badly wounded people he just ran over lie on the pavement. As he is put into the car, the man turns to the man filming and says 'bitte hilf' - which translates as 'please help' -before the man responds ‘What help? You just killed two of us idiot.’

Witnesses say he drove 'very fast' towards the pavement on Tauentzienstrausse - a street lined with shops and cafes - around 10.30am Wednesday before smashing into crowds of shoppers without braking. He then rejoined the road and drove another 600ft - past Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - before hitting the shop. One eyewitness said: 'He drove at full throttle. At no point did he slow down.'

The man tried to flee the scene, witnesses added, but was held by two passersby until police arrived and arrested him.

An open and shut case, you'd think? 

Officers have refused to say whether they believe the crash was deliberate. Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said the driver was in hospital and "at this time, we do not have conclusive evidence of a political act"

Iris Spranger, Berlin's interior affairs minister, said this evening: 'The latest evidence suggests this is a case of a mentally ill person running amok'..

'We haven't clarified everything yet,' Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey told reporters at the scene, while an Interior Ministry spokesperson told a regular federal government news conference in Berlin it was 'too early to speculate' about what caused the incident.

When will those who tell us to let them handle it give some indication that they even know what 'it' is..? 

How Well Did She Do?

The Hants PCC, I mean:

Scores of travellers have forced entry into a disused army base on the edge of Winchester.

Residents described seeing a 'convoy' of caravans move the concrete barricade and head into Bushfield Camp off Badger Farm Road late Thursday evening.

Hurrah! Witnesses! So, the police can act, right?  

Police said they are aware of the encampment and have already paid a visit to the 15 hectare plot - which has been disused since the 1970s.

Great! How many arrests did th...

Oh. 

"Officers have visited the encampment and continue to monitor the situation, whilst working closely with the landowners and Winchester City Council to seek a suitable resolution."

*sighs* 

This is the second time in as many weeks police have been called out to travellers who have forcibly set up camp across the Winchester district.

Shedfield Parish Council had to hire professional cleaners to deal with piles of mess - including clothes, food and human excrement - which were left on the common by travellers who tore up wooden posts to access the site.

Yet another state of affairs this hopeless Tory government has failed to get to grips with, despite (empty) promises to make trespass a criminal offence... 

H/T: i.r.jackson via email

Get Woke, Go Broke...Again

Yorkshire Cricket staff including former head coach Andrew Gale have won a case that they were wrongly sacked following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal and are now in line to receive huge payouts.

Now the debt-ridden county faces paying out vast sums in compensation and legal fees after SportsMail reported ten days ago that the club had conceded liability in the claims.

And there's worse to come... 

An ECB inquiry into Yorkshire’s mishandling of Rafiq’s whistle-blowing on racism is yet to conclude but Lord Patel expects disrepute charges for individuals and financial penalties to follow.

 It should probably be a giant cream tea, but oh well...

But There Wasn't Any To Say Stone Did Either....

After five years of exhaustive inquiries, the CCRC has found no forensic evidence to suggest Bellfield or anyone else was involved in the crime, sources say.

...was there?

A bootlace found at the scene of the murders has also been subjected to extensive forensic analysis after going missing for 14 years in police storage.

It was hoped that a knot in the lace could contain DNA yielding the killer's identity, but no trace was found of DNA from Bellfield, Stone or any potential suspect, sources told the Mail.

I've always put this case on a par with that of Jeremy Bamber. 

Kent Police has already said it has no intention of re-investigating the murders.

Because you are certain you've got the right man? Or because you don't want the public to find out you're as slapdash and incompetent as Essex Police? 

"Tryna make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you die..."

Maybe those are reasons why, eh, Charlie?

Mr Mullins told MailOnline if workers are able to condense five days of work into four, then they 'weren't really doing five days work before'.

Really? Don't judge people by your own standards. 

I think I agree with Longrider here, what a nasty self-aggrandising little man he is. 

Well Said, Judge Carroll ...

The usual words from the hired mouthpiece, but he's not swayed:

"I read with interest your army reference, which describes you as a man of integrity - that could not be further from the case. This was a long, persistent case of very bad driving that culminated in a man’s death."

But once again, the Pussy Pass comes into effect: 

Robinson collapsed in tears as she was jailed for seven-years-and-nine-months. Ferry was handed an eight-year sentence.

She hit the cyclist, so why should he get a greater sentence..? Is it, as Clarissa thinks, because he left the scene and she stayed?

Back To Normal, Now, Everyone!

What could be more British after a glorious long weekend of pomp and pagentry than trudging to work in the pouring rain and finding the unions are playing silly buggers again? 

*sigh* 

It was great while it lasted...

My Brother Has The Best Neighbours...

/applause

If You're Having A Street Party Today...

...have a good one!

Sunday Funnies...

Yet more people who really should have tried just acting...

She's At It Again...!

Utterly shameless:

The parents of a boy killed in a dog attack 12 years ago are backing the Mirror’s campaign for change, saying they do not want other families to suffer.

John-Paul Massey ’s mum and dad talked about the overwhelming grief they still feel after the four-year-old was mauled to death.

By their own son's vicious dog... 

John, who has two daughters in their mid-20s from a different relationship, is also desperate for a change in the law. Backing the Mirror’s call for action, he said: “There are too many loopholes.”

Loopholes? There's no 'loopholes' here, because there's no loop! Anyone can buy and train a four legged weapon. And leave it with their toddler.  

She also thinks a full DNA test should be provided to those buying dogs to prove they are getting pure pedigrees.

It's not a DNA test that's needed. It's an IQ test. On the potential owner... 

And The Left Want To Abolish 'Joint Enterprise'...?

Jack Woodley was set upon and killed after he left the Houghton Feast in County Durham last October. The group of teens who attacked him were 'out looking for serious trouble' and pulled on face coverings and balaclavas before confronting their victim.

They didn't know him. They had no grudge against him. They were simply looking to assault someone, and he was the unfortunate 'someone'. 

One witness said the youths were like a 'herd of lions' when they attacked.

Err...

There were aggravating circumstances about this case than makes me somewhat surprised it didn't get greater coverage: 

Prosecutor Mark McKone QC said the group 'not only attacked him but prevented him from escaping and prevented other people from helping him'.

Strange, when other cases get wall-to-wall media attention, isn't it? 

Mr McKone said that while only one youth inflicted the fatal stab wound, the other nine are guilty due to 'the concept of joint enterprise'.

We know what the progressives think about this law, don't we? I guess they are happy for innocent teenagers to be slaughtered in the streets by strangers who face no justice at all...

Jurors took more than three days to reach their unanimous verdicts and as they were read out several of the defendants looked shocked and distressed, clutching their heads and rocking back and forth.

Not as distressed as the parents of the murdered boy, eh, BBC reporter? 

They won't get anything like the sentences they deserve. One to watch. 

H/T: Perry via Twitter

No Longer Simply Killing Each Other...

A teenager who leapt off a Santander bike to kill a performer in a music video in front of the victim’s girlfriend has been jailed for...

Life, right? 

...at least 24 years.

What..?! 

Judge Sarah Munro, QC, told him: ‘Shane Jerome was adored by his family, by his long-standing girlfriend and by his friends, many of whom are here today to pay their respects to him and to see you punished for snuffing out his life.

‘He had no convictions and unlike you there is not a shred of evidence that he was involved in any criminal or gang activity.’

So why was he killed? 

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow, QC, told the court that the music video involved a convoy of vehicles driving in a loop around Brixton Market.

On that route, the group encroached on the territory of a local street gang to which McNeil belonged.

Unbelievably enough, he genuinely was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fancy! It's almost like he didn't realise that the streets of London aren't safe any more... 

Rajiv Menon, defending, spoke of McNeil’s young age-having been 18 at the time-his lack of intent to murder Mr Jerome and his guilty plea in mitigation.

Blah, blah, blah...

But it's often said of gang violence in the capital - and indeed, I've said it myself - that at least they just kill each other. Good riddance, and all that. Why should the police waste their time, etc.

Well, this is why.  

Is It My Birthday..?

Dangerous dogs and careless cyclists? Truly, my cup runneth over!

The victim, a woman in her 40s, was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries after the incident in Lancaster on 5 May. She told police she had been involved in an argument with a man who accused her of almost knocking into his child.

Any evidence that's true?

It occurred shortly after the victim was forced to brake to avoid a woman and child.

Ah. Awkward! 

No arrest has been made but police are appealing for information in an attempt to identify the dog walker, believed to be in his early 30s.

The man is described as white, 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in and of a slim build, with brown short back and sides hair. He was not wearing a top at the time of the incident.

Chavilicious! 

Move Over, Tom Cruise...

...here’s the real top guns of the RAF showing how it’s done!

I'd popped to my local farm shop to get some fruit, wondering as we drove there why cars were stopping along the route and people were standing in fields. Soon found out, as the flypast was coming right over the area! This is taken from the farm shop carpark.

And What Were Her 'Managers' Doing?

A Met policewoman was today found guilty of gross misconduct after failing to take basic steps to protect a domestic violence victim who died after her husband set fire to her northwest London home.

PC Sandeep Khunkhun...

Oh! No race card? I'm shocked!

...failed to arrest Simmons or make arrangements for his arrest, interview Simmons, and take his electronic devices, witness statements or examine the lightbulb. She also did not act on a colleague's statement taken from the victim, wrongly recommended that crime reports be closed and failed to safeguard the victim by considering how she could get a panic alarm or send SOS messages.

Wouldn't have taken Professional Standards long, then? 

Khunkhun's lawyer Ailsa Williamson said her client should be allowed to keep her job.

Wait, wait, this'll be good!

 OK, do your best!

She urged the panel to give her either a written warning or a final written warning because Khunkhun has 'exceptional qualities' that mean she could have a 'valuable role' in another part of the force.

Really...? 

She added: 'Her line manager says she is a diligent officer who provides a valuable service to the public.'

What, making sure murderers get a free kick at goal? 

'She was part of a team which was overwhelmed with work, and her ability to do the work was impacted by her dyspraxia.'

Why are we employing a copper with a disability that may affect how she communicates?  

'She did well as an officer in roles where there are clear tasks to follow, which was not the case here.'

But there were clear tasks to follow. She simply didn't follow them! 

'The volume of work this unit was dealing with meant the level of supervision sergeants would like to have provided to those they were line managing was not possible.'

Why aren't they in the soup too, then? 

'She did not know what was going to happen to the victim and this process has had a horrendous effect on her. She has found it incredibly stressful.'

Ah, yes. She's the real victim here, not the dead woman... 

'She has exceptional qualities and could have a valuable role in another part of the force.

I'm not sure which, frankly. I'd say 'the canteen' but if she can't follow SOP for threats to life, I doubt she'd cope any better with a recipe for spaghetti bolognese... 

'She always thinks with integrity and other officers have said they are happy to have her working in one of their teams.'

Well, doesn't that say it all! 

Not Quite, Amber, Not Quite...

...it's a setback just for you. And 'freedom of speech' doesn't mean automatic belief in whatever you choose to say. 

Heard, 36, then blamed star attorney Camille Vasquez and Depp's other legal experts.

'I believe Johnny's attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.'

Different country, different laws. It's to our shame, and the shame of our debased justice system, that you won that one. 

Of course, the 'Guardian' can find someone to agree with Heard:

It will have a devastating effect on survivors, who will be silenced, now, with the knowledge that they cannot speak about their violent experiences at men’s hands without the threat of a ruinous libel suit.

No, only the ones that are lying...