Just So Long As That Scent Doesn’t Emanate From A Black Child, Eh?

Britain's top police chiefs today urge their officers to crack down on cannabis. The country’s longest-serving chief constable admits the smell of the drug is a ‘sign of crime and disorder’ which makes even him ‘feel unsafe’.

Why should they do their job when this is what happens when they do?

Sir Andy Marsh, who leads the College of Policing, said frontline officers should ‘do something about it’.He is backed by Greater Manchester Police Chief Sir Stephen Watson and Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.

Strsnge that the Metropolitan Police didn't also weigh in, isn't it? 

Sir Andy, who is the officer in charge of police standards, said: ‘In my community, my kids are too frightened to use the bus stop because it always stinks of cannabis.’ He told the Mail ‘policing is about creating an environment that people feel safe in’ and said: ‘I’m speaking from personal experience and people I talk to, if I walk through a town, city, or even village centre and I smell cannabis, it does actually have an impact on how safe I feel.

So, there seems to be at least three sensible coppers in the College of Policing, but I fear they won't get the backing for this that they need. Certainly not in London: 

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has called for the decriminalisation of possession when it involves small amounts of the drug.

Madness. 

And Now We Get To Keep Him At Taxpayer Expense For God Knows How Many Years....

No real surprises here:

Jurors agreed it was the Brazilian’s insatiable drug habit that drove him to carry out the attack, and he alone was to blame and he was on Wednesday convicted of murder, three counts of attempted murder, possession of a sword, aggravated burglary and wounding with intent.

OK, maybe there's one: 

Indeed, so reliant is Monzo on psychoactive substances that, despite the carnage he knows can be caused, he admitted smoking synthetic cannabinoid Spice while on remand in prison.

I should be surprised by this, but I’m not - are any of our institutions fit for purpose anymore? 

Keep Telling Us It’s A Harmless Drug, Hippies...

Marcus Monzo, 37, admitted that he had been using cannabis 'extensively' which had changed his personality and caused a mental health decline.

Which is  quite the understatement:

In the grip of a cannabis-induced 'psychotic disorder', the Brazilian is said to have strangled, skinned and deboned his cat, Wizard, before attempting to eat it.

No, Reader, not in Brazil, in leafy, pleasant Hainault. This one’s a little too close to home. After killing and mutilating his own pet, he then set off on a rampage which saw him attack several people, killing a schoolboy in the preocess, including police who turned up unarmed to try to halt his rampage with tasers. Why a ARV wasn’t sent, god only knows. It might have spared us taxpayers the farce of a trial of this rabid animal.

Minutes later, Monzo is alleged to have set off with the animal's remains on a baking tray, a number of swords and a ball-bearing gun on a mission to kill, shouting 'does anyone believe in God'. Yesterday Monzo claimed he could not remember killing Daniel Anjorin, 14, as he was walking to school.

Yesterday Monzo told the Old Bailey that he had been consumed by 'paranoia and anxiety'.

No, that wa what your victims felt.

Such As, Brian?

Police hunting for people who use small amounts of cannabis is a waste of scarce resources, and diverts officers from tackling much more serious criminals, a former police chief has said.

Who is advancing this viewpoint? 

Brian Paddick was a senior Metropolitan police officer who in 2001 pioneered the limited decriminalisation of cannabis in a pilot scheme in Lambeth, south London. His comments come after the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, backed calls for the partial decriminalisation of cannabis possession.

Aha - someone with experience then? 

Paddick said officers would spend hours processing cannabis arrests that would result in minor punishment, such as a caution or conditional discharge: “We were wasting a lot of money for something that was not a priority at the time. He added: “80% of local people were in favour of the effective decriminalisation of cannabis for personal use.”

I've no doubt, but we aren’t going to import the customs of the ethnics as well as the ethnics themselves, Brisn, are we?

He denied that limited decriminalisation amounted to going soft on drugs: “When I was in Lambeth there were a lot more important things police needed to spend their time on and it was doing a lot of damage to police community relations. “The policing of small amounts of cannabis is disproportionately focused on young Black men. I think the argument that cannabis is a gateway drug is no longer considered to be a credible theory.”

Well, Brian, be that as it may. but the waft of cannabis emanating from my fellow morning Tube commuters often seems to come from white or mixed race men adorned with hi-vis and carrying safety helmets, which I'm sure even you'd have to agree is somewhat alarming, surely? 

If So, He Was A Fallen One...

 

Terry Cassidy, 45, who worked on TV adverts and music videos before suffering life-changing injuries, died at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, on April 9. He had suffered brain damage during an interaction with the Metropolitan Police Service.

How? 

The force has suggested he died after swallowing drugs when confronted by officers in a car park off Ivyhouse Lane, Dagenham.

Ah. Yes, that'll do it. And in a glaring example of how local newspapers often aren't these days, there is no 'Ivyhouse Lane'. There's an Ivyhouse Road. A genuinely local journalist would have known this.

But two witnesses told Newsquest he had injuries to his head and neck when they saw him moments after the confrontation. “His neck was red raw with scratches on it,” said one friend, who arrived on the scene as they were due to meet for coffee. Mr Cassidy’s death was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), but it declined to investigate and suggested the Met investigate itself instead.

Well, when you swallow drugs in the presence of the police, for some reason they have to try to stop you, so yes, you will have bruises. 

“No one is going to get charged for this. No one ever does,” said Mr Cassidy’s partner of six years, who asked not to be named. “This is why they keep doing it. Because they keep getting away with it.”

She described Mr Cassidy as “a kind man” and “a joker” who had never been in trouble, besides a single court appearance for an alleged driving offence.

“He was always late,” she chuckled. “But apart from that, he was an angel. He would do anything for anyone. He was always thinking of other people.

“He treated me like a queen. He taught me how to be loved. I’ve never been loved like this before. And now he’s gone… He didn’t deserve to die in vain like this.”

So, he wasn't the sort to have, or to swallow, drugs? 

On the day of his death, she said, he had agreed to hold a small quantity of drugs for a friend “like an idiot”. She last spoke to him roughly five minutes before the fatal incident, when he telephoned her and said he was being followed by four unmarked police cars.

“They’ve been following me since Becontree,” she remembered him telling her.

And pulling over, stopping and saying 'OK, it's a fair cop!' wasn't an option?

The Metropolitan Police said: “Officers on patrol in Dagenham stopped a car close to Ivyhouse Lane at around 4.50pm on Sunday, March 30, following concerns around drug use.

“When approached by officers, it’s believed that the man inside the car ingested something and then became unwell. “Officers gave immediate first aid and called the London Ambulance Service. The man, in his 40s, was taken to hospital.

“Sadly, he died on Wednesday, April 9. His family are aware and being supported by specialist officers.”

A job I couldn't do, because I'm sure part of it isn't educating the newly bereaved on what a fucking moron their loved one was... 

Play Silly Games, Win Silly Prizes

Chad Allford, 23, died on October 27, 2021 after police – who believed he was “involved in the supply of drugs” – raided his girlfriend’s Alfreton home.

Whereupon he confirmed their belief pretty conclusively. 

A police constable who tried to detain Chad in the kitchen of the Morewood Drive property described seeing a “white powder substance exploding” from his head. Moments after swallowing the drug – Mr Allford became “very unwell” and was shown in bodyworn camera footage at the front of the address “convulsing” on the floor as officers asked him to spit out the drugs.

Chesterfield Coroners Court heard Chad eventually coughed up a “60ml by 10ml piece of white substance” however his condition deteriorated to the point that he stopped breathing and could not be revived during the arrest.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind... 

Describing the scene as he entered the rear of the property alone, PC Ball said: “He was standing still at the time, looking at me with a very shocked expression on his face. I asked Chad to give me his hands with the intention of placing him in handcuffs.” The court heard, however, PC Ball failed to state the reason for Chad’s arrest.

Pretty sure he'd figured it out! 

Chad's inquest - expected to last four to five days - continues. It will examine whether police involvement contributed to his death, said Coroner Ms Evans.

Four or five days worth of taxpayer money wasted.  

Why Are Your Thoughts With A Drug Dealer's Family...

...and not with the innocent taxi driver who now has a big cleaning job to do?

Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led Scotland Yard's investigation, said: 'Anselam Senaj was killed in a brutal cold-blooded assault which lasted seconds, but was so severe he died at the scene.

'Our team conducted a thorough and detailed investigation which led to the arrest of three of the suspects within two weeks of the attack.

'We'd like to thank our partner agencies who helped us ensure the arrest of the final suspect, and bring the case to trial to secure justice for Anselam.

'Our thoughts remain as always with Anselam's friends and family as they move forward with their life, safe in the knowledge his attackers are behind bars where they belong.'

What a modern, politically correct copper, eh? Maybe if Anselam had been behind bars where he belonged, being a drug dealer, the streets of London wouldn't be running with blood again and he'd have been safer too?

Judge Judy Khan KC said it was 'a callous and shocking attack' in a public street, which was 'pre-meditated and planned'.

Drug dealer Khan was found guilty of murder and having a blade and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years for his leading role.

Miah was found guilty of murder and admitted having a blade and was detained for life a minimum term of 25 years. The sentence reflected Miah's separate conviction for a brutal rape a 15-year-old girl in a north London park in March 2023.

Ali and Naim, both from East Ham in east London, were cleared of murder but convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter. Ali, who was responsible for taking the victim's phone, was jailed for 14 years and Naim was detained for 10 years and six months.

Just another day in the enriched capital.... 

Well, It Is Nearly Panto Season...

...so let's have a hearty rendition of 'Oh, yes you are': 

 Filters - they can work miracles!

When her week-long trip to Cancun was coming to an end, Ms Hall claimed the men asked her to take two suitcases back with her, which they said contained $250,000 in cash.

'I agreed to it because there was no reason not to. It was just money and I didn't see anything wrong in it,' she said.

If there was 'nothing wrong in it' they'd do it themselves, not recruit some gormless bird! She doesn't even realise she's admitted intending to smuggle here, albeit got the substance wrong...

Her father John Hall, 59, previously defended his daughter, saying all she is guilty of is 'stupidity and naivety'.

That's all that's needed in a smuggler. Is the whole family stupid?

So Why Don't Social Services Take This View?

RSPCA actually do a proper job for once, attending a report of animal cruelty:

At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Leeds magistrates were told that an RSPCA inspector visited Edward's house on February 5 last year after the charity was contacted by someone with concerns about the kitten's welfare.

She had a badly broken back leg, and had received no veterinary care.  

A police officer then attended the practice and took Evie into possession under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.Magistrates handed Edwards an indefinite ban on keeping animals and £400 in costs after he pleaded guilty to one animal welfare charge.

Good!  

In mitigation, the court heard Edwards, now of Barton Terrace, Leeds, had not been "malicious" or "vindictive" but he accepted he had caused Evie to suffer and should have done more, although his drug addiction meant he was unable to look after himself, let alone an animal.

Sensible outlook! But social services would happily let him look after children, if he were to have any. In what universe does that make sense? 

Stop Giggling, It’s Not Funny!

Does it produce that vacant expression, or was that already there? 

Keating, 20, stood in the dock at Manchester magistrates court alongside her mother, Nicola Keating, 48, jointly charged with possession of the Class C drug, more widely known as laughing gas, in Manchester last month. The footballer, wearing a black trouser suit and trainers, spoke only to confirm her name and address. She was asked to indicate a plea and replied “not guilty”, as did her mother.

Magistrates granted Keating and her mother unconditional bail and adjourned the case until 10 September back at the same court for a district judge to fix a date for trial.

A Dangerous Combination...

XL Bullies and illegal drugs:

The mother of a five-year-old boy savaged by an XL Bully has revealed the youngster had 'half his scalp ripped off' during the horrific attack. The terrifying incident happened in a run down house which locals claim is a well known drugs den in Hull, East Yorkshire, on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. CCTV from the neighbouring house shows the mother and her child entering the property with another man, who is claimed to be a local drug dealer.

I've often said the police should regard ownership of these things as less a desire for a dangerous 'pet' than for a cover and guard against other criminality.  

The mother is then heard pleading for an ambulance as she emerges wailing in the street with her child in her arms before a stranger offers to ferry the boy to hospital. He is now receiving treatment after the savage attack which left him with 'half his scalp ripped off', while friends of his family say he is lucky to be alive thanks to three men who wrestled the dog off him.

Very lucky indeed, to find three men not too addled by illegal substances to act! And once again, the owner of this hellbeast is a young female: 

Footage from after the attack in Hull shows the moment police arrived at the property to collect the out of control dog as the owner, dressed in a black top and grey trousers pleads with the officers to let her put a muzzle on the animal instead. The owner can be seen on the footage pleading with the officers: 'You are hurting him. Let me put the muzzle on him.' She tells them: 'It is a good dog. I am telling you. I can save him.'

Skip the drugs test, officers, she's clearly on something! 

Neighbours deny the mother is incompetent: 

'I don't know what she was doing at the house. There are a lot of problems with drugs down here but ahe will not have anything to do with drugs.

'The dog had come from a good family home only two days previously.'

No 'good family home' would ever want one of these things! 

Following the horrific attack, Humberside Police's DCI Allison Sweeting said: 'We are working closely with the boy's family and the owner of the dog to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident.

'At this stage, the breed of dog is believed to be an XL bully type and it has been seized as part of our enquiries.'

Perhaps if this place was such a notorious drugs den, you should already know the circumstances?  

But They Leave Out The Most Interesting Thing...

...what was the brand?

Staff at a Royal Mail delivery office tucked into chocolate bars believed to have fallen out of a package but then realised they were laced with drugs.

Who on earth eats stuff that's fallen out of a packet?  

Three members of staff at the Royal Mail’s delivery office in Brighton’s North Road reportedly shared the sweet treats. But minutes later they began to feel the effects of the edibles and experienced panic attacks. Colleagues said they discovered the chocolate was laced with drugs when they saw it written on the packaging.

*sighs* 

Ambulances attended the delivery offices and the trio were taken to hospital for treatment.

And psychiatric evaluation?  

Royal Mail said they investigated the incident but that no disciplinary action was taken.

*boggles* 

“Is It Us Who Are Wrong? No, It’s The Rest Of The World!”

The Mayor of Drugstown:

In the Netherlands, we used to look on the international “war on drugs” with a certain amount of disdain. Its solutions were prohibition, criminalisation, stiff penalties and sentences; our national drug policy, on the other hand, focused for decades on reducing the health risks for users – and was relatively successful. We are lenient on soft drugs such as cannabis, allowing for personal use under specific conditions. Hard drugs are technically illegal, but possession of small amounts (like half a gram of hard drugs or one ecstasy pill) is often not prosecuted. Police cracked down on the largest drug traffickers, who mainly operated locally. There was drug crime and even killings, but these remained traceable and largely manageable. Drug trafficking hardly affected our economy or daily life.

And is it still a befuddled paradise for stoners and normal folk alike? No, Reader, it is not...

That is no longer the case. Spurred on by globalisation and the international criminalisation of drugs, the illegal drugs trade has become more lucrative, professional and ruthlessly violent. The effects have been disastrous. In the past decade, the port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, has become a global transit hub for cocaine. The Dutch authorities have increased their efforts to combat drug trafficking, but they have not turned the tide.

Our current approach in the fight against drugs is like mopping with the tap running.

So will you be abandonging your approach? 

The challenges we now face in the Netherlands are not an indictment of our liberal drug policy.

Oh! There's a surprise, Reader... 

What the Netherlands’ problems reveal is the need for a global shift in the current approach. It’s not a matter of retracting our user-centred policy, but rather advocating for international recognition that the war on drugs is counterproductive.

To spare your blushes, the whole world must turn to your approach? I would ask what you've been smoking, but... 

'Crime Doesn't Pay' Overturned Again...

Cara James was wanted by police after failing to attend at magistrates courts.

So how did she elude them? A cunning hiding place? Well...

In September last year police were alerted to her presence in HMP Hindley visiting her then partner.

And not just for a chat, either: 

Bolton Crown Court heard she was arrested and made a confession that she had drugs on her. Verity Quaite, prosecuting, said: “She disclosed that she had something in her bra.

“She was conveyed to the Wigan custody suite and strip searched.

“They found a small cellophane wrap on her bra.

“There were 14 sheets of A4 writing paper. “It was analysed and shown to be laced with a class B drug commonly known as spice.

“The value in prison is five times higher. “It was £100 per sheet so a total of £1,400.”

Well, bang to rights, surely? 

Recorder Philip Grundy said he had never not sent someone to prison for this offence.

Ha ha ha ha! There's always a first time, eh, Phil? 

But he said: “When I came into court today there was nothing that could have saved you from being locked up.

“Your counsel has persuaded me to step back from locking you up today.”

He suspended a sentence of eight months for two years, ordered James to do a 12 month long alcohol treatment requirement and attend at 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

What a farce. 

No Professional Courtesy For Bloodsuckers?

Oh dear, how sad, never mind...

And in other pest-related news:

A flea-infested courtroom has halted the murder trial of a man who was strangled to death in his own home for a year.

The trial had already been going on for a month when the tiny biters invaded the space and the jury has had to be discharged.

Horrible creatures that prey on the weak are everywhere these days, it seems. 

Six men are accused of murdering Ian Staves, 44, after he was found dead in his own home in September 2022.

Prosecutors claim he had been strangled by men planning to steal drugs from him at his home in Wooton, near Hull.

The court heard that the self-employed car sprayer - who lived next door to his mother - was a drug user who was being investigated by police. Half a kilogram of cocaine and a cannabis grow were found during a raid of his house.

See what I mean? 

Errr, Well, Yes...

Khurram Raif, mitigating for Osanzoy, said: “Mr Ozansoy has already spent 340 days in custody.

“He has used his time well in prison, working in the recycling unit for five months and he has taken maths and English courses whilst testing negative for drugs.”

You'd hope so, wouldn't you, since he's not had the opportunity to buy or steal any..?

Natalie Bird, mitigating for Manueno, said: “Mr Manueno had built up a cannabis debt at college and was told to hold drugs and a phone by others higher in the chain.“Mr Manueno is also relied upon to care for his four youngers (sic) siblings and his family has struggled financially during his time in custody.”

Maybe relying on a failed cannabis grow thief for support isn't such a good financial long term plan, then? 

Is This Really Such A Funny Story?

A drug dealer was arrested and charged after he called the police to report his drugs had been stolen during a break in, and even gave them a list of the nicked narcotics.

James Beaumont, 38, rang Thames Valley Police to report that someone had got into his house and stolen the drugs.

I mean, yes, ha ha, and all that. Dumb criminals. Hilarious, right? 

Defending, James Reilly said Beaumont did not accept that he had got others involved in selling his drugs for him. His client had been suffering badly with poor mental health at the time - and had complained of there being 'men hiding in the bushes'.

He added: 'All sorts of things can be said [by] the defendant. Whether any of those things did happen is an entirely different kettle of fish.

'If the Crown were saying he was [*] some high-level drug dealer involving other people, arming them, there isn't any reality in that.'

There's no reality in much of this story, actually, Mr Reilly. For instance... 

Asking for a pre-sentence report to be compiled by the probation service, Mr Reilly said Beaumont had no previous convictions and was currently working with addiction service Turning Point to address his past drug misuse.

Judge Ian Pringle KC adjourned sentencing for the prosecution to serve further evidence from a download of the defendant's phone, to help establish either way whether or not he was involving others in the supply of drugs.

Such a waste of time. Will he get a sentence that reflects his actual guilt? That's worth the cost of all this to the taxpayer? I doubt it. 

They Are Like Buses...

...they come along two at a time:

A “devoted" dad was tragically killed when a BMW driver who had taken a cocktail of drugs crashed into his van. Stefan Hayles, 30, had been on his way to work when John Butterworth’s car drifted across Folkestone Road in Dover, causing a head-on collision.

A 'cocktail' of drugs? Oh, yes, Reader, it seems to be rife in this part of the world: 

An inquest heard last week that Mr Butterworth, who also died in the crash, had more than 100 times the permitted level of methamphetamine in his system when he got behind the wheel.

And the rest? 

He was also 16 times the limit for THC – the major psychoactive component of cannabis – and he also had benzoylecgonine, the metabolite formed in the liver after using cocaine, in his system.

It's a wonder he could open the driver's side door, never mind start the engine... 

Oh, It Absolutely Did...

“His death did not reflect him as a person.”

 

Hmmm, really?

Taylor Perkins – who had high levels of methamphetamine in his system – was killed when his Audi TT collided with a bus in Manston as he was pursued by officers in a patrol car.

I guess pulling over wasn't an option? 

His devastated grandmother, Gaynor Perkins, says they want him to instead be remembered as someone who loved his family and was “incredibly loyal”.

To what..? To whom..? His dealer?

You're Right, Judge...

...six years and eight months for this really is no sentence at all:

A passenger in the Audi told police that he and Dancs had been drinking and had taken cocaine as it was Dancs’ birthday that day, the court heard. Dancs, 28, who had minor injuries, was found to be almost two-and-a-half times the legal limit for alcohol and drugs. Two bottles of vodka, one of which was empty, and a small bag of cocaine were found in the Audi.

Judge Simon Medland KC said: “No sentence any court could ever impose should be considered as a measure of Olivia Riley’s life and its tragic, appalling, needless and avoidable end.”

Of course, it isn't even six years anyway, is it? 

Dancs will have to serve half his prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for five years and four months.

Yes, I'm sure he'll be a capable driver in five years time...