Happy Easter Sunday...

...however you choose to celebrate it. 

Normal Bank Holiday service will resume tomorrow.

Tweet Of The Month

This was one of the sublime moments that make Twitter worth doing (you can follow the subsequent frothing butthurt here):

As was this:

Post Title Of The Month

LegIron nails it:

Quote Of The Month

Bill Sticker on this month's resounding defeat for the progressives in the Irish referendum:

"The globalists behind the push want to get rid of the ‘women’ clause, get them into the workforce and paying tax for the political class to piss up the wall, inflate the cost of housing even further and make big bucks for the corporates. The native Irish seem to have other ideas, despite being ridiculed for not seeing the referendum for what it was."

Post Of The Month

Bucko attempts a culinary adventure...

Does 'Boss' Mean Something Different These Days?

Questions are urgently being asked over who is to blame for the proposed editing out of disabled children from school photos, with a boss of the photography firm at the centre of the scandal insisting 'it is not company policy.' Terence Tempest, 70, was unable to explain why parents had been given the option - as he vowed to investigate how the fiasco came to be.

Shouldn't he already know, if it's his company and he's a boss of it? Wouldn't he have tried to find out the moment this all blew up?

He revealed 'heartbroken' bosses were locked in crisis meetings to discover 'what the hell happened', and described the suggestion to delete children with complex needs from the class pictures as 'unacceptable'.

Clearly not, since someone at the company accepted the suggestion, or - worse - suggested it themselves! Maybe this company has too many 'bosses' to run properly?

'If I was in that position I would want an apology. I don't run the company and I'm in touch with the managing director at the moment and they will decide what to do.'

It sounds like he's the only one who decided to be the spokesperson, even though everything he says sounds like he's digging a deeper hole for the company... 

He said: 'I'm not sure what the current policy is frankly, it depends what we are asked to do. We just respond to what we are asked for.

'We have got another meeting coming up and will find out whether the photographer was asked to do it. Did they do it off their own back?'

If it turns out the school requested it, this is going to run and run.  

The Mentality Of Dangerous Dog Owners...

A dog owner who was savaged by her Rottweilers has said that she is 'nothing' without them after both were euthanised following the attack.

Nikita Piil, 31, almost died when her two dogs, Harlem and Bronx, mauled her at her Success home, in the southern suburbs of Perth, on September 16. Her family later said she was trying to calm the dogs following an incident in the neighbourhood when she unfortunately got caught in the crossfire and was attacked herself.

Yet more evidence these people are utterly deranged.  

Ms Piil was raced to hospital with severe injuries to her arm, legs and head and has since undergone at least five life-saving operations.

During the attack, police were forced to shoot Bronx following failed attempts to distract and Taser the dog.

At least they didn't then try to revive the mutt, like the idiots in the Met Police! Not that they were able to shoot straight...

He was later euthanised by vets.

*rolls eyes* Back to the range, cobber! 

About six weeks later, she was asked to surrender Harlem to City of Cockburn's animal management centre so he could be put down. Ms Piil has never spoken publicly about the attack, but has quietly turned her social media bios into tributes for her beloved pets in recent weeks.

There's no hope for people like this. 

Another Met Police Disaster

Two organised criminals are appealing against their convictions after a Metropolitan Police officer was photographed by defence barristers driving away from court with a female juror in his car. The veteran detective constable, granted anonymity at a gross misconduct hearing last Thursday, breached standards of professional behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct and integrity.

Does any Met Policve officer not breach those on a regular basis? 

He would have been dismissed had he not retired from the force on December 12, 2023.

He might be crooked but he's not stupid! 

The officer, attached to the Specialist Crime Command and known as Officer A, was interviewed under caution but lied about having any contact with the juror. Phone data later showed he had messaged and called her on the same day. He withheld the PIN number to his mobile which would have assisted the investigation.

Then surely he could now be charged with that - isn't it an offence? 

Maybe The Correlation Isn’t What You Think It Is…

Restaurants and takeaways with the unhealthiest menus are more likely to be found in deprived areas, while tourists hotspots such as Westminster have the healthiest food outlets, research suggests.

Gosh, whatever could be the reason for this? 

The study from the University of Cambridge examined menus from almost 55,000 food outlets on Just Eat, an online food ordering and delivery platform. Each menu was given a score between 0 and 12, with 12 being the healthiest. To extrapolate the data, the researchers used artificial intelligence to predict the healthiness of almost 180,000 menus across the UK.

Researchers also found that food outlets clustered in more deprived areas, with 8.39 food outlets per 1,000 to 3,000 people in local authorities with the highest levels of deprivation, compared with just 3.85 in the least deprived areas. As a result, people living in the most deprived areas were facing a “double burden” where they had more food outlets but also that they were less healthy.

So, is anyone forcing them at gunpoint into Greasy Ali's Chicken Shack? No?  

Jean Adams, professor of dietary public health at the University of Cambridge, said the study found there were more out-of-home food outlets in more deprived areas, and these tended to be less healthy. “That is the ‘double burden’ we refer to,” said Adams. “Within these neighbourhoods, individuals at lower socioeconomic positions are also at a greater risk of obesity when they are exposed to more outlets, adding a ‘triple burden’.

Only if they eat there, Jean. It's not like they emit some sort of obesity-causing pollution. 

“People in lower socioeconomic groups often live in these more deprived areas, where they are exposed to numerous unhealthy food outlets, and they are more susceptible to the negative impacts of this exposure. These inequalities in the local food environment may have contributed to the health inequalities we see in the UK.”

Maybe, and this is just a suggestion, the outlets were there first, and they are poor because they spend all their money there? 

Does The Owner Get ‘One Free Bite’ As Well?

A man whose dog injured four people in a "frightening" attack in a holiday park pub has been jailed.Thomas Skillen, 29, and his stepdad Ian Loftus, 59, admitted being in charge of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in public.

Loftus, of Argoed, Kinmel Bay, was given a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years. Skillen, of Marine Road, Abergele, also admitted affray and assault and was given a 30-month prison sentence.

Assault? Yes, Reader. The dog wasn't the only savage animal in this story. 

Mold Crown Court heard on Friday how, on 15 September last year, Skillen and Loftus brought Kilo, a Rottweiler-cross, to the Magpie and Stump pub at Palin's Holiday Park in Kinmel Bay, Conwy county. While in the outside seating area, Skillen was asked to stop Kilo from jumping on the tables and responded by telling a female member of security staff "my dog wants to give you a kiss", before leaving the pub.Skillen later returned and shouted abuse at security staff before climbing over the fence into the beer garden. He was repeatedly asked to leave and a security officer attempted to restrain Skillen, who proceeded to bite him.

Lovely people. 

Meanwhile, Loftus had also arrived at the beer garden with Kilo. The dog bit a member of staff, causing an injury to her arm, and bit a customer, injuring his arm and bicep.

And police didn't turn up and shoot it? Why not?

The Same Thuggish Demands As Any Inner City Ganglord

A cafe owner forced to close over complaints about bacon and clinking teacups has been slammed again by an angry neighbour after announcing plans to reopen just 100 yards away. The Caddy Shack in Weymouth, Dorset shut down in December after three residents said the odour and noise coming from the venue was causing 'unacceptable harm' to their standard of living.

Yers indeed, it's this one. 

Owner Emma Ayles then tried to solve the problem by submitting plans to move the cafe, which is run from a converted shipping container, just 100 yards away.She hoped this would put her out of earshot of frustrated locals, but one of the original complainants has since launched a fresh attack on the businesswoman by writing to Dorset Council and demanding 'more respect' for neighbours.

You know who absolutely never deserves any respect? People who demand it as if it was a right. 

Other neighbours don't agree, they want to see it reopen: 

Reginald Haylor said: 'It was sadly missed when forced to close with some very suspect complaints. 'I live approx 100 metres and found it very useful.'Barry Smith wrote: 'As a (very) local resident, I'm in full support of this application and happy to add my vote if needed. 'It brings the community together as well as passing runners, dog walkers etc. and encourages local business as opposed to (for example) yet another chain store like McDonald's or Costa.'

All things local councils tell us they are in favour of. And there's at least eight other people who will agree: 

December's closure led to eight people being made redundant.

Well done, local council...  

So Find Him Guilty In His Absence

A man charged over XL Bully attack failed to turn up to court today - with a warrant issued for his arrest. It followed an attack in Birmingham which left a schoolgirl and two men injured.

That was this case, one of the final straws that broke the camel's back and finally got this breed banned. 

Prosecutor David Devine said a postal requisition was sent to Ajaz, of Bordesley Close, Bordesley Green, on January 23. District judge David Wain granted the prosecution request that a warrant be issued for his arrest. He said he was satisfied Ajaz knew about the hearing. He also said no contact had been made with his solicitor regarding reasons why he may not be able to attend.

He's probably already fled the country. 

Update: Got him. Add on contempt of court to the charges. 

Awww, Diddums!

I’m not being funny but… we as a nation have accomplished some incredible things through protest. Whether we’re talking about the suffragettes or the gay liberation movement or our stand against fascism, it’s embedded in us to take a stand for what we feel is morally right and we continue to do so regardless of how difficult the Government has been recently trying to make it.

I haven't noticed that they have been having much luck with that, since every Saturday we've had morons like you out in numbers in London, demanding the Israelis stop the war your terrorist friends started...

In recent years, we’ve seen trans+ and UK black pride demonstrations have an impact in protecting our community from people in power attempting to discreetly strip us of our rights.

Those 'rights' that, when challenged, you are unable to describe? 

While there’s been a spike in antisemitic attacks because of the conflict, there’s also been a spike in anti-Muslim hate and so this was a good reminder that standing for peace is something that should never be compromised. Have we learned nothing from our elders?

You certainly don't appear to.... 

...the police resources allocated to protests are unbelievable.I understand the need for those resources — protests need to remain safe spaces for everyone, but when are we going to actually start prioritising dealing with real crime?

The utter arrogance of this pathetic beta male, moaning about the resource loss for the police as if it were unconnected with he own actions and those of his fellow travellers.  

What really gets to me though is how little impact these protests are having. We have a government that doesn’t give a toss about its constituents’ issues.

Welcome to the club. I'm sick and tired of these 'conservatives' who seem in thrall to lunacies like Net Zero & encouraging the entire Third World to rock up on small boats to live a life of unparalled luxury at the taxpayer's expense. 

I’m never one for violence but, f*** me, France seems to be getting something right. We don’t hear about it so much over here but the way they take to the streets gets their government to listen.

So, you are one for violence then? Since that's how they do it.

I'm Guessing She Wouldn't Have Passed An IQ Test...

The Old Bailey heard today how all four individuals had been drinking on the night of the incident, but driver Aidonojie passed a breathalyser test taken two hours after the crash.

Come to think of it, neither would her passengers:

A driver killed her two friends who were ‘twerking’ in the back of her convertible Mini Cooper as it sped at more than double the speed limit before crashing and overturning, a court heard today.

Adele Ojokie Aidonojie, 23, denies causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving after Rida Boujetif and Mary Macharia, both 23, were killed following the car crash in Battersea, west London, in the early hours of July 16, 2022. The back-seat passengers were not wearing seat belts as Aidonojie's car travelled at approximately 62mph on Latchmere Road, which has a 30mph speed limit, while the vehicle's roof was down.Both women were flung from the car following the collision and suffered fatal head injuries as a result.

Ben Sidibe, a front seat passenger, was also taken to hospital with a fractured upper arm.

Absolutely no loss whatsoever to society here. 

Ms Mertens said Aidonojie told a witness at the scene: ‘Don’t call the police or ambulance, I’ll get arrested.’ Aidonojie said there had been a ‘hit and run’, and asked another witness if the street had cameras, the court heard.

It's London, what are the odds? 

Aidonojie, of Edgeborough Way, Bromley, denies two counts of death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Good luck with that! 

Upset No-One Offered You The Gig, Leila ?

Leila Latif phones in another column on tv criticism:

Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure, Ade Adepitan’s attempt to see if “racial separatism can ever be justified” becomes a cautionary tale for black people who think they can one-of-the-good-ones themselves out of white supremacy.The programme follows the charming presenter and Paralympian on his trip to Orania, a “whites-only” town in South Africa, to learn about why they founded this community (racism), what their values are (racism) and why it celebrates the architects of apartheid (racism). He meets estate agents, students and town leaders to enquire politely about their “whites-only” space with the levity of someone discussing the weather.

It's clearly entertainment, rather than searing social commentary, so what did you expect? 

He suggests their “racist past was just overshadowed by apartheid”, asks his subjects gently if there were “negatives” to the Afrikaans history in the region and, in a moment of astounding respectability politics, all but grasps a string of pearls as he defends British democracy and says: “I support BLM [Black Lives Matter], but I don’t go out rioting!” Not only is this a particularly tone-deaf thing to say in South Africa, but it also suggests that he also needs to read up on Mandela.

Yes, it seems for Laila being a non-rioter is a no-no. It makes him 'inauthentic', I suppose. What lovely people write for the 'Guardian'. 

Being a black “chilled-out guy” is a feeble response to white supremacy; the Oranians are unmoved by his politeness.

It's be rather a different sort of show if he'd gone in screaming and shouting at them, Laila. 

Adepitan concludes there were very fine people on both sides, but places like this will inevitably end with “me and you meeting on the battlefield”, seemingly unaware that the failure of his approach makes the case for militant action on racism.

Yes, because a TV presenter who doesn't act like an animal makes the case for all people of the same race everywhere to do so.

Really, Laila? After all, it's not like they seem to need your encouragement, is it? 

We Know This Isn't Likely To Be The Full Picture...

...because know police often fail to attend, telling victims that it's a matter for the dog warden.

Dog attacks have risen by a fifth in one year, with police recording more than 80 incidents a day. Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of a dog injuring a person or a guide dog last year, an investigation by the BBC found, increasing from 25,291 in 2022.

Thus ignoring all the dog on dog attacks that they can swerve if the victim fails to utter the right magic words. 

Dr Ed Hayes, head of public affairs at The Kennel Club, the organiser of Crufts, said that the legislation is 'doomed to fail' because of gaps in the law. Dr Hayes said that breeders will pair two dogs together that are half an inch under the legal limit, therefore making it legal.

Legal limits can be changed. 

The Crufts official also said that the Dangerous Dog Act is another strain on police resources, adding that after being assessed in court, the canines are 'typically' handed back to their owners.

Unless the mutts attack the cops and are gunned down, of course. 

In January it was reported that police have spent at least £2.2 million housing XL bullies.

And we know who will eventually be stuck with that bill, don't we, Reader? 

But Surely 'Er' Is A Frequent Response From The Mail Photo Section..?

Mind you, I had to request clarification from the sender as I stared at it for ages thinking 'what's wrong?' See if you do better, Reader!

H/T: Stephen Brown via email

Don't Your Headline Writers Talk To Your Feature Writers, 'Mail'?

A leopard as well! They are really screwed! Was it on holiday?

Sunday Funnies...

Maybe I'll stick to black cabs or the bus in future...

'Lawyers for the three defendants said none were likely to find themselves back before a court.'

Yeah, well, we'll see...

Speaking following the sentencing, DCI Collette O'Keefe from the Warwickshire Police Major Investigation Unit said: 'The level of violence shown by these offenders was truly shocking and Mr Hackett must have been terrified throughout.

'These three young people may not have intended to kill Mr Hackett but that is ultimately what happened, and like Mr Hackett's family, they will live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their lives.'

Yeah, see that's the problem. They do get to live. And with the most pathetic of sentences. 

The judge sentenced the girl to an 18 month detention and training (D&T) order and gave the boys two year D&T orders. The first half of the sentence will see the youths held in secure accommodation, before they are released under supervision in the community. All three admitted manslaughter at a hearing in January.

This country is broken beyond all repair, isn't it? 

I Always Wondered What They Talked About While Spreading The Mayo On The Bread....

Hannah believes the toxicity surrounding the transgender debate has created a climate of fear in schools. 'Nobody is prepared to speak out or challenge decisions made without discussion,' she said. She now works in a sandwich shop 'where we are more freely able to discuss these issues'.

That's nice...but sandwich shops aren't educating our children (though if they were, it'd probably improve things).  

Shutting That Stable Door Again…

Some small businesses that received tax breaks for their innovation work are now being chased to pay the money back. HMRC is reassessing past research and development (R&D) tax relief claims, after underestimating the level of error and fraud over many years.

Silly me, thinking that sort of assessment should come before they hand out the cash... 

Optometrist and entrepreneur Mr Patel received the money in 2022 for work during 2020-21 on a potential new lighting product, a portable device which would project light that looked like daylight, even though it filtered out shorter wavelength blue light. In January 2023 he got a "notice of enquiry", informing him that a compliance check on his claim found similar products already in existence.

Mr Patel says that the product he was working on was innovative at the time. He has almost finished developing it but hasn't brought it to market yet.

We gave him taxpayer cash for innovation for a product already on the market? FFS! Still, it's about the level of expertise we've come to expect from HMRC, frankly.

Many small businesses have been in touch about this issue, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) (Ed: unfortunate acronym!). "It's very clear that HMRC is mishandling its approach to past and present R&D claims in a way that undermines the innovative small firms who are needed if we are to grow our economy," says Tina McKenzie, policy chair for the FSB.

I'm not too sure they are going to do that if they 'invent' things already in existence. 

R&D tax credits were introduced in 2000 and are designed to help start-up companies, by giving them tax relief when they invest in innovation. However, it has been reported that in recent years some companies have been abusing the system. HMRC has estimated that more than £1bn was lost to error and fraud in tax relief to smaller businesses at the height of the pandemic in 2020-21, the year Mr Patel made his claim.

Ah, the pandemic. The answer to all difficult questions about where the money has gone these days. 

Motorists Will Be The Ones Swearing Now!

This bridge saga will clearly run and run!

Drivers are being urged to find alternative routes after a new £121m bridge broke down.

Remember when we lead the world in this sort of engineering? Come back, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, we need you! 

Update: 

Council bosses are pleading with people to stop crossing Great Yarmouth's broken bridge because they are hampering efforts to fix it

.Mr Plant said: "Until the experts tell us what is wrong, we are in the dark."

The experts being the ones who built the wretched thing? Good luck with that, then!

H/T:Dave Ward via email 

Failing Everywhere...

A man who was brutally attacked by his paranoid schizophrenic cousin could have been saved if a call to the police had not been left on hold for more than 40 minutes, an inquest has heard.

Stockport Coroners' Court heard evidence from Sgt Dominic Brady, of Greater Manchester Police's professional standards branch, who investigated the way the force dealt with calls made about Glennon on the day he killed Mr Lowry. He explained how the chain of events leading to police checking on Glennon broke down and how a potential opportunity to detain him was missed when a 101 caller who tried to report the would-be killer was put on hold for 40 minutes.

Remind me again, what they call 999? It's the 'emergency number', isn't it, Reader? 

A mother has slammed police after her son's body lay undiscovered in the back of his van parked on a BP garage forecourt for six days. Don Shepherd was last seen parking his van at the BP on Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, East London, early on February 11. Described as a 'happy tree hugger' by his mother and living in his van, Mr Sheppherd, 50, was seen on film trying to buy a bottle of water – but was told by an assistant the shop was still closed.He was then seen on CCTV walking back to his van. It was the last time he was seen alive.

Inside the vehicle, he died from a heart attack. His body lay in the back of the transit for six days until he was finally discovered by police on February 17 – after his frantic mother repeatedly phoned to report him missing.

'I told them he had last used his bank card at a petrol station in Finsbury Park. I gave them the registration number of his van – and asked them to look at the garage CCTV.

'But they've been hopeless. We told them we knew he had been at the garage.

'I now know that the poor man from the petrol station had also repeatedly called them, saying there's a man here in a van who hasn't left it for five days. But the police never came.'

This is getting to be a widespread problem. No longer just confined to London. 

Oh, Please!

Who didn't eat out of these as a child? I think we all had cassarole dishes like this in our kitchen, didn't we?  I know I still have the blue and white one at the top, it's the ideal size for cottage pie, and used to be my mum's. 

I know Americans can be risk-averse, but this takes the cherry.

If You Were To Wake Up As A Labour Shadow Minister, Frances…

...we'd all have even more cause for concern than if Diane Abbot became chancellor!

If I were to wake up as a Labour shadow minister tomorrow, I’d pick these three priorities.

Oh boy, you know as soon as you see the byline this isn't going to be grounded in reality... 

1. End child poverty

Social security cuts and rising prices and rents mean almost one in three children in the UK are now in poverty.

Well, only because the definition of poverty has been perverted to the point that even some 'Guardian' writers blush to name it as such when talking about the UK. 

2. Scrap the work capability assessment

The work capability assessment (WCA) – famed for its cruel and inaccurate testing of disabled and chronically ill people unable to work – is one of the greatest social policy failures in modern times.

If we don't have a test, how can people be said to be unable to work? Should we just take their word for it? 

3. Close the Department for Work and Pensions

From the deaths of benefit claimants to the tens of billions wasted on the snail-pace rollout of universal credit, over the past decade the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has normalised a culture of punishment, waste and secrecy.

If we close the department actually dealing with all those disabled people claiming for things they need  want who will administer that, Frances? Will it be you? 

Suspicions...

The accused female member of staff, who is a permanent employee of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, later showed at least three colleagues the footage, one of whom reported the incident.

Rebecca's family have told LBC that days later, after she was told she had been the subject of an illicit recording whilst in a severe state of distress, Rebecca attempted to take her own life. Although evidence has been made available to Lancashire Police, officers have decided no crime has taken place and will not proceed with an investigation.

When you read a story like this, that's almost unbelievable, you start to wonder what can lead to such a clear refusal to do your duty. And you start to think about other news stories you've read, which might help to cast a bit of light on this inexplicable story... 

 If this turns out to be the reason, and the reason should become clear as the big guns are now turning to fire on Lancashire Police:

Former Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird KC told of her surprise at Lancashire Constabulary's decision, citing the new law introduced in January. She told LBC: "It looks like criminal activity to me. Section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act says that if somebody intentionally shares a photograph showing that person in an intimate state, and that person doesn't consent, and the person sending it doesn't believe they're consenting, then it's an offence. It seems to be absolutely to cover this situation.

"The police really do need to think again. The public interest, seems to me, to cry out for this to be prosecuted to make the point to other people that they can trust the mental health services in the NHS, and they aren't going to be exposed in this way."

Then, the police have just made a very, very bad mistake. 

H/T: Charlotte Lynch via Twitter

This Is No Great 'Mystery' At All....

...there are probably pygmies in the Congo who could take a good guess at who's doing this. Why do we always pretend it's some sort of puzzle?

Mike Jelen, a conservation manager who works on estates in the area, said: ‘This is now happening twice a week.

'It’s total anarchy and the police are doing little about it. By dumping the bodies like this, the poachers are sticking two fingers up to farmers and rural communities.’

Just like the police are. 

Yet More Farcical Reporting...

I beg your pardon?

 They always display such very unladylike behaviour, don't they?

The defendant, 51, of Walkergate, Newcastle, was arrested and assaulted a police officer at the police station but was then released on bail with conditions not to contact the victims.

Difficult, when he's moved into the downstair apartment. 

The defendant, who failed to attend court for the sentencing hearing, pleaded guilty to harassment putting a person in fear of violence and assaulting an emergency worker and was jailed for 41 weeks and given a restraining order not to contact the victims. Shada Mellor, defending, said the defendant has served the equivalent of a 14 month prison sentence on remand and was previously detained under the Mental Health Act. The court heard defendant has autism and bipolar.

And those are correctly treated as mental illnesses, and not pandered to by society, and the media who as Longrider points out, are only too happy to lie to their readers.. 

If Mental Hospitals Were Zoos, They'd Be Shut Down...

I often save images to use later, and, coming across these while cleaning out my photo images, I wondered what had become of the case, as the conclusion must have sneaked under my radar:

And a quick Google later:

A crazed woman stabbed to death a stranger walking his dog in a park after repeatedly 'escaping' from mental health units, it can be revealed. Artist Emma Borowy, 32, was said to be a schizophrenic obsessed with witchcraft. She had previously been arrested for slaughtering two pet goats in a form of 'sacrifice' and allegedly threatened to 'stab someone in the heart' just three weeks before killing Roger Leadbeater, 74.

The case will now never go to trial as she died a week ago in a 'suspected suicide' in New Hall Prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

So no justice for the family of her victim, not that there's likely to have been any if it had gone to trial.  

Passing the case on to the coroner, Judge Richardson said: 'This case, taken as a whole, in almost every dimension is sad beyond compare.'

Details of Borowy's troubling previous behaviour and the fact she was regarded as a 'danger' can now be revealed for the first time as legal restrictions are lifted. Her father Karl, 64, said Borowy, who had a young son, had been admitted to mental health units in Warrington, Salford and Bolton, but had frequently walked out.

He said: 'It seems she can escape any time she wants. That's what she told my wife. I do think these units should be more secure. She must have escaped a dozen times in the past two years.'

Imagine a zoo where lions, tigers and bears regularly escaped and mauled people to death. It would be unthinkable, wouldn't it? They'd never get a licence to operate. How, then, can mental health facilities get away with it?

Borowy was also said to be responsible for the 'ritual' slaughter of two goats in October last year. The animals belonged to a local family. They were stolen and found later with 'broken bones and cut throats.'

Owner Emma McLeod, 39, said Borowy was arrested but never prosecuted. She said: 'We said at the time that if she can kill animals then she can kill a human. She terrorised another farm before us, she used to sit in the trees and pretend she was a bird. But she was never charged over the goats. They just blamed her mental health.'

That gets them off the hook all the time. 

Typical 'Grauniad'...

...they've spelled 'defeat' wrong.

I Hope c2c Staff Are More Knowledgable About Trains...

...because they suck at ornithology! Pigeons don't flee 'the scent of a hawk', they don't have a sense of smell (were you thinking of vultures, spokesman?). 

It's the sight and sound og the hawk that scares them away.

Should Have Stuck With 'Driver'...

...it's easier to spell.

Sunday Funnies...

You're guaranteed to listen more closely now, Reader...

Oh, To Be A Fly On The Wall!

Do you suppose the subject of poor parenting included pretending your son is your daughter?

Did they come to any earth-shattering conclusions?

“It was a positive and respectful meeting, which allowed us to initially get to know each other. Although I don’t want to go into any detail, we discussed family and the challenges of parenting.”

Yes, it's hard to be a parent these days; the choice between raising a confused child who doesn't know what sex it is, or one who's obsessed with serial killers. Tough call.  

It's The DEI Version Of Max Coopey!

A drug-driver jailed for 16 years for killing a pregnant woman and her elderly father will not spend a single extra day behind bars for trying to cover up his crime. Nitesh Bissendary mounted a pavement in Leopold Street, Ramsgate, in his Alfa Romeo and fatally struck Noga Sella, 37, and 81-year-old Yoram Hirshfield in August 2022.

I remember this when it first hit the news, and thought it had gone rather quiet.

The 31-year-old, who had been out dealing cocaine in the two hours prior to the crash, fled the scene, leaving his dying victims and a seriously injured child who was among the family-of-five mown down. But instead of alerting emergency services, Bissendary chose to phone his parents, former Metropolitan police officer Barjunsing Bissendary, 59, and Sadhana Bissendary, 56, to help him remove evidence linking him to the death smash.

Well, well, well... 

Canterbury Crown Court heard that between them they removed items from the car, including drugs, as well as further drugs and paraphernalia from his bedroom at the family home in Highlands Glade, Manston. They also concealed Bissendary's mobile phone from police and removed its SIM card.

His stash of cocaine was actually retrieved from the wreckage while emergency workers were still tending to the injured and as Mrs Sella lay underneath the vehicle.

And what did they get? Well, Reader, merely a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

At the parents' sentencing hearing Judge Simon James said they had acted out of "misguided loyalty", having been confronted with a "conflicting dilemma" of doing the right thing or protecting their son.

I can see why a Met Police employee would have a hard time understanding what 'the right thing' was in any situation, Judge...  

H/T: farmageddon via Twitter

Get Ready To Be Charged For Your Bank Account...

And this is the man to thank:

Surely, the regulator should understand that free banking for those who keep their accounts in good order is woven into this country's financial fabric – like good old fish and chips or bangers and mash.

I'm unsure why, looking at him. you'd expect him to know that or care about it. Like our PM he's yet another example of how 'diversity' isn't the panacea the progressives claim it to be.

It's a reward for thrift and should not be abandoned. Most people, especially the elderly, will simply not entertain the idea. A financial uprising? Don't rule it out. For example, we had one 25 years ago when some of the big banks wanted to charge non-customers for using their cash machines. Consumers won that battle, and I am sure they would put up an almighty fight over the loss of free-in-credit banking.

Why should consumers have to gear up again because once more the Financial Conduct Authority has proven to be a watchdog with no teeth? And for those saying 'Well, just change your bank' it's not that easy. 

Next Wednesday, the Treasury committee will grill the bosses of Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander over whether they are giving customers a fair deal – against the backdrop of a persistent cost-of-living crisis. I trust Ms Baldwin will use the opportunity to grill them over whether they intend to abandon free banking for those who stay in credit. Maybe she should also ask Mr Rathi to come along.

I doubt that will do any good. 

Worth A Try, I Guess...

An epileptic son stabbed his retired detective stepfather to death while 'having a seizure' and 'out of it', his mother told a court today. Ben Moglione, 23, killed Andrew McDiarmid, 64, who was isolating in his bedroom after testing positive for Covid.

After all, people have tried the 'sleepwalking' excuse. 

Her usually 'calm and placid' son, who was studying chemical engineering at university, came into the bathroom soon afterwards and started washing blood off his hands.

Mrs Moglione, a senior civil servant, told jurors he was 'out of it.'

And who'd know more about being 'out of it' than a senior civil servant? 

Oh, Spare Us, Sergeant Cording..!

Sergeant Cording said: 'Even after over 23 years service, you come across things that you struggle to comprehend.

'Like yesterday when some great fast track work from the team identified a recently stolen caravan being towed by a vehicle on false plates, but then to find the driver was only 11 years old!'

The world and his wife all know the likely demographic involved here. 

'A search of the car also revealed equipment typically used by suspects to carry out thefts and a selection of vehicle registration plates.' It is thought that after travelling on the A1, the boy joined the M1 at Junction 48. The boy was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including theft, burglary, going equipped for theft, and motoring offences including dangerous driving. He was questioned and has been released on conditional police bail to allow further enquiries to be carried out.

Am I wrong, Reader? 

'Titanic' Discussions At Local Council Meeting!

After its meeting in January descended into chaos, one councillor, who has not been named, suggested that a change to the seating arrangement would 'stop councillors talking to the public during the meeting'.

Strange - thought that was a councillors' raison de etre! 

H/T: Ian J via email

Well, Not Quite, Polly...

Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter, said: “This is a harrowing reminder of the abusive and brutal treatment people are often faced with when sleeping on the streets.

“Sleeping rough is deeply unsafe with people under the constant threat of harassment and violence. Nobody chooses to spend their night shivering in a sleeping bag. But record high rents and the government’s failure to build enough social homes mean more people are becoming homeless and growing numbers of them are ending up on the street.”

This is in response to video of a police officer - a female, remember how they were hired to provide a softer, gentler aspect to policing? - dragging a rough sleeper in a sleeping bag when they refused to move.

So, what do we have here? Someone who can no longer afford rent due to 'vicious austerity Tory'? An Army or Navy serviceman with PTSD who has lost their home due to 'Tory austerity' and failure to provide support once their career is over?   

The homeless man, who is a refugee from Sudan, has been in the UK for three and a half years and has been given the right to remain.

Oh. Yes, Polly, clearly the government's at fault for not providing social housing for the waifs and strays of the Third World.  

Finally!

The son of two retired Metropolitan Police officers who avoided jail for killing two men in a drug-driving crash has been locked up for illegally driving his mother's car.

At last!  

Max Coopey, 22, was jailed for 12 weeks after he admitted driving his mother's blue Fiat 500 while disqualified. It comes after two dramatic hunts were launched for him after he failed to turn up for hearings in the case, leading to him being arrested for the eighth time for refusing to attend court.

And despite treating him leniently for the deaths, the court will pull out all the stops in defence of it's own will.  

This could be the first time that he serves a full custodial sentence despite having clocked up at least 27 offences on his record.

He probably has a worse record than anyone his parents ever arrested, 

What More 'Awareness' Is Needed?

Paying tribute, Tina told the Lancashire Post that her grandson had a 'heart of gold'. She said the family have been left 'utterly devastated' by the loss of Tommie-lee, who was 'bright', 'energetic' and the 'life and soul of any room'.

Tina told the outlet: 'We don't want any other children to follow TikTok or be on social media.

'In fact, we want to get TikTok taken down and no children to be allowed on any social media under 16 years of age.

'This is breaking us all but we want to help save other children's lives and give families awareness to keep their children safe.'

Another day, another Darwin Award, and another family member who thinks this entitles her to dictate terms for all. 

The grandmother said she had received many messages from other parents 'thanking her' for raising awareness of the challenge. Tina said she knew of one woman who had 'no idea' about the harmful social media trends and her children 'happily' sit on TikTok in their bedrooms.

'She has now removed all social media from their devices and is so grateful that we are openly talking about it,' the teacher added.

Did she miss all the other stories then? 

In 2022, a distraught mother revealed how her son died in front of his friends while attempting a deadly challenge he saw on social media.

Leon Brown, of Cumbernauld, Scotland, was just 14-years-old when he was found unresponsive in his bedroom after reportedly attempting the same dangerous TikTok trend as Archie Battersbee.

His heartbroken mother, Lauryn Keating, issued a warning to fellow parents after her son's friend revealed he had wanted to replicate the choking game after seeing it online.

There's at least three that made the national press. So why should this one be any different? 

Maybe It's Not The Quality Of The Food...

Greggs workers are set for a £700 bonus each after the bakery beat McDonald's to become the UK's favourite breakfast spot.

The company, which has 2,473 stores, recently overtook McDonald's as Britain's no.1 breakfast on-the-go retailer, which Ms Currie said reflected the popularity of its hot food options, including their popular sausage and bacon rolls.

Ms Currie told the Mirror: 'We have been number one for a number of months. We have more consumers eating breakfast out of the home,' referring to Greggs increasing its share of morning customers for food to 19.6 per cent.

They are providing nice food, it's true. And a more frequent choice for breakfast for me on work days. 

But that's simply because they are open earlier than McDonalds. 

And as I write this, it appears I've tempted fate, as the Greggs at Westfield Stratford has closed for renovation yet again, despite a huge upgrade and overhaul just last summer.

Anything For An Easy Life, Eh, Met Police?

Good of you to prove Rishi Sunak right on something, though, I suppose. Poor guy's having a shocker of a 2024 so far.

Police said he was arrested for assault before being de-arrested after officers reviewed footage. Demonstrators carrying Palestine flags charged towards Mr Ghorbani and attacked him before police stepped in to arrest the counter-protester. Mr Ghorbani was then hauled away from the scene as pro-Palestinian marchers continued to hurl abuse at him, shouting 'shame on you'.

If police see someone being attacked by a mob, they have to arrest the victim before viewing video that proves he's not? Can't they just go by the evidence of their own eyes? Do they all need to visit that well known high street branch of opticians?

Five further arrests were made at the march, including a man accused of carrying a shield and wearing a helmet, a woman said to be holding an an offensive placard, two men alleged to be chanting offensive slogans and one man for assault.

And the police are backpeddaling faster than a unicyclist who has found himself heading for the Grand Canyon! 

'The arrest was not made in relation to the placard.'

No arrests were made in relation to placards. Not even the clearly illegal ones waved by the protestors. And if the arrest wasn't in relation to the placard, why did you lie to the arresstee about the reason?

The Met's PR division (currently having even more of a shocker than Sunak) were quick to get out a statement that was as full of holes as a Swiss cheese and which was promptly ratioed to oblivion on Twitter:

 

'Mr Ghorbani said that he would make a complaint after today's incident and that he was not given back his sign.

'I told the police they attacked me and I want to complain and they say go to police station near your home.'

He said that the UK is in 'serious danger' if police are allowed to support Hamas sympathisers against law-abiding protesters such as him.

You're not wrong. Of course, the police strongly refute such charges on social media: 

They weren't the only ones beclowning themself yesterday, of course:

Welsh singer Charlotte Church joined the rally through the capital weeks after sparkling a backlash by attending a concert in aid of Gaza and singing a lyric that critics claimed could be construed as anti-Semitic. Ms Church told the crowd that the Government labelling the protests as threatening is 'total propaganda'.

Voice of an angel, mind of Jeremy Corbyn... 

Signs Of The Times...

Police have raided three funeral homes across East Yorkshire after becoming concerned about the 'care of the deceased'.

Now there's a sentence I never expected to see in the morning paper! 

There are currently police cordons outside the three branches of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, Humberside Police said.

Officers received a report on Wednesday evening with inquiries ongoing into whether any criminal offences have been committed.

And here comes the obligatory 'Don't speculate!' that gets rolled out every single time... 

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Gawthorpe said: 'Whilst we are in the very early stages of our investigation, I completely understand this information will be of concern to a number of families and individuals who have lost loved ones and have utilised the services of this business.While asking people to 'refrain from speculation' about what may have happened, he continued: 'At the core of this investigation will potentially be heartbroken and devastated families and loved ones.'

You know what would help with that? Being a bit clearer about exactly what sort of reports you've received and what sort of crimes you are investigating. 

And The Forecast Wasn't Accurate Either!

Perhaps the Leap Year threw them off?

H/T: Ian J via email

Throwing Stones In Your Glass House, 'Mail'..?

Oh dear oh dear oh dear...in the very same edition:

And that's just a three letter word!

Sunday Funnies...

Too US-centric for the 'Witches Hat' to make a showing, sadly...

Should They Have Waited Until It Grew Up?

An XL Bully type puppy was put down and a woman charged after armed cops raced to a Coatbridge house yesterday. Police swarmed on Broughton Place in Shawhead at around 3.40pm after receiving reports of an incident involving the pup, that is understood to be less than a year old. Officers attended and confirmed the pet, believed to be aged just seven months, was euthanised at the property by a vet.

Meanwhile, locals reported a heavy police presence in the area for several hours on Thursday evening. Surrounding streets were taped off whilst emergency services dealt with the incident. Neighbours told the Daily Record of their shock to see the amount of police who attended.

"There were ten armed officers and dozens of police officers. The vet had to be escorted into the property by two armed officers."

Cue the usual suspects on social media wailing 'it was only a puppy!', almost drowning out those wailing about police overkill. Thankfully, the owner of this juvenile hellbeast was dim enough to wade in and explain (and also hand the CPS an open goal):

If this response was needed for a 7 month old, who wants to wait around and see what's needed when it's older?

 

Spreading Culture....

But not one we'd like modern thugs to pick up again:

British Transport Police (BTP) has released images of three people who they want to speak to after the incident which took place at Elm Park Tube station on Saturday, February 24.

The 'incident'? Acid throwing. And for once, not the usual suspects:

 

Puzzling. I've been browsing the local press and social media, and can't see anyone claiming this is gang-related. On Facebook, several people have claimed the boys were targeted at random. 

But it seems to be more common these days, everywhere. Like it once was. 

On February 10 a 52-year-old woman was left with burns on her back and head after having a corrosive substance thrown over her in a pub in Basingstoke.The day after, a manhunt was launched after a man was attacked with a 'noxious substance' in St Laurence Graveyard in Ramsgate, Kent. The attacker fled the scene and the victim was rushed to hospital for treatment to burns at the back of his head. And the same day as this police officers were involved in a three-hour stand-off with an alleged 'acid attacker' who seized a London bus and threatened the driver and passengers with an unknown substance in Croydon.

And the 'experts' are puzzled. And have to fall back on old tropes.  

Prof. Gill told MailOnline earlier this month: 'With these attacks on the rise, the criminal justice system must ensure that its response is informed by the perspectives of survivors who have lived experience of its current responses; further, it must be able to influence national police guidance and training and to scrutinise them to more clearly understand the underlying motivations of perpetrators.

'However, protecting acid victims and working to prevent this form of gender-based violence is not merely an issue of legal, police policies and practice; acid attacks can only be eradicated by social change.'

Oh, Prof, 'gender based violence' went out the window. It's no longer the scorned man (if it ever was, as the Samizdata link above shows) or jealous woman, it's a bit more widespread now. 

'Gosh, How Unexpected' Said Nobody, Ever...

Actress and TV presenter Danielle Mason...

Sorry, Reader, no idea...

...claims her 12-year-old son, who has autism, hasn't been to school for over a year due to a lack of funding for his special educational needs - and says 'he'll never go back because his confidence has been knocked so much'. Mason, 41, who lives in Bracknell, says her son Rudy, who should be in Year Eight, has been declined a place at numerous schools in Berkshire after he was excluded 21 times from his last school, The Brakenhale School.

Twenty-one times...! 

Speaking to MailOnline, the mother-of-two claims that the schools 'cannot cope' with her son's EHCP [Education, Health and Care Plan] due to a 'lack of government funding' - and that he's received homework for the first time in a year this week. She says her daughter Delilah, who also has an EHCP due to mental health problems, is currently in Year Six at primary school, and has also failed to get a place at several senior schools.

Two children with mental health issues? Gosh, what are the odds?  

The mother claimed her son would be excluded for 'silly reasons' such as coming in wearing his trainers instead of his school shoes, while other days he was 'triggered' when the school couldn’t handle his needs properly.

But sweetie, those aren't 'silly reasons', are they? 

Danielle revealed it has become like a full-time job trying to find a place for her children's educational needs.

It's probably the only full-time job she's ever had. And she's failing at it miserably. 

Those Dreaded Words...

'Poster Girl'. It's a red flag:

The Army’s poster girl for diversity is suing defence chiefs after allegedly suffering a catalogue of racist abuse. Corporal Kerry-Ann Knight, who has fronted Army equality and diversity campaigns, has taken her case to an industrial tribunal. In court documents she accuses senior officers of presiding over an ‘obvious culture of bullying, discrimination, racism and sexism’.

Her claims are understood to be based on her service at the Army Foundation College, where she is an instructor.

Who couldn't see that coming at Army HQ? Hopefully whoever it was doesn't man a front line watch position!

In 2019, she fronted the £1.5 million ‘Your Army Needs You’ recruitment campaign and featured prominently on posters.

In the same year, The Mail on Sunday revealed how she was racially abused by six soldiers while stationed at a UK military base in Germany. Her attackers were disciplined for using offensive words and accusing her of using her skin colour to secure promotions.

The first I could understand, but not the second. Is 'it's the truth' only a defence against libel then, and not anything else? 

It’s Time The Magistrates Were Forced To Hire Her As Their Chauffeur…

A mother of two who fled the scene of a road accident after a boozy lunchtime binge has walked free from court despite being convicted of drink driving twice in five years. Cheryl Hughes, 43, tested more than three times the alcohol limit when she was arrested at home following a minor prang involving her Ford Focus.

At Chester magistrates court, Hughes, faced jail after she admitted driving with excess alcohol but walked free after a judge ordered her to get treatment for alcohol issues. She was ordered to complete a nine month alcohol treatment programme as part of an 18 month community order and was also banned from driving for 40 months.

Another inexplicable ruling from one of those female judges we are told are so necessary to 'humanise and balance' the justice system... 

Sentencing Hughes, District Judge Jane Hamilton said: 'The figure of 110 was registered in your breath and you had an accident which you had no recollection of. I find this very serious bearing in mind it is the second offence of driving with excess alcohol since 2019.

'It is a matter for which I could have imposed a custodial sentence for and this is something you need to tackle head on as Mr Coupe put it.

Well, why didn't you? If anything is crting out for it, it's a case like this one, where the accused does not cooperate. 

'You need to confront the fact that you do have an issue with alcohol. You have not acknowledged that in your presentence report and you did not acknowledge that when you had the last community order.

So why should she acknowledge it now, when there's been no punishment? 

'If you keep on failing to acknowledge that this is a problem it is not going to go away, it is going to keep recurring. If you do not go to the probation as requested and do not provide evidence as to why you did not do it, you will have breached this order.

'If you are breached, you can go into custody. It is that serious. I could have required you to do the extended retest before you ever get your licence back. I am not going to at this stage but if you are convicted of drink driving again in the future that is one option the court has.'

If the justice system keeps on failing to acknowledge that lack of justice in cases like this is a problem, maybe our faith in it is going to go away.  

About The Only Thing Rishi's Got Right!

The head of the nation's biggest police force hit back at Rishi Sunak yesterday over 'inaccurate' claims that officers are failing to enforce the law in pro-Palestinian protests.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that his staff's 'confidence and willingness to act' is being knocked by criticism that they are 'woke and fascist' in their response to the marches, which have cost taxpayers £30 million.

What was knocking their willingness to act before the PM decided to point out their failures, then, Sir Mark? 

Mr Sunak said: 'I have met with senior police officers and made clear it is the public's expectation that they will not merely manage these protests, but police them. And I say this to the police, we will back you when you take action.'

I can't help but feel you'll be waiting a long time for that, Rishi. And let's face it, you haven't got a long time, have you..? 

Pardon Me..?

I suppose they technically are 'firearms'. 

But I wouldn't want to trust my life to one in a self-defence situation with anyone armed with anything stronger than a rolled-up newspaper.

Can I Assume There’d Be No Fuss About This...?

...if they’d have simply had the foresight to dress in #womanface first?