Now I’ve Heard Everything…

Defence lawyer chancing their arm in defending this Liverpool chav with a vicious mutt:

"Unfortunately, she has suffered significantly over the past five years. Her ex-partner had kicked her door in recently. She is a domestic violence victim. This has led to significant issues in her life for a long period, and led to her child being taken away. 

She's the victim here, you callous brutes! Not the poor bloody workman whose face was shredded by her hellhound!  

That may explain some of the way the dog behaved on that occasion.

 What? Seriously? How?

"Certainly, Ms Fitzpatrick is assessed as being a very low risk of reoffending. She has responded well to previous supervision. There are no breaches on her file."

Well done for admitting to the court she's a typical Liverpool recidivist. 

Fitzpatrick has no previous convictions of a similar nature, but was handed a six-week imprisonment suspended for 12 months in April last year for two counts of assaulting an emergency services worker.

They do grow to look like their 'pets', don't they? 

Ms Fitzpatrick is taking steps herself to better understand what she should do with a dog if Capone is returned to her, as well as being committed to attending behavioural management classes to ensure that Capone is suitably behaved.

Well, that won't be needed, the mutt won't be doing it again, as the magistrates sensibly imposed a destruction order. The owner?

'fined £120 and told to pay £300 in compensation, court costs of £85 and a £48 victim surcharge.'

None of that coming anywhere near the true costs, of course. If the court ever sees a single penny... 

Inversion Of Moral Codes

An angry baker called out thieves on social media for swiping up to £90 of cakes from her village honesty box - only for people to blame her for 'dangling a carrot' in front of the vulnerable.

Here we go again with the modern meaning of the word 'vulnerable' - just what is it they are supposed to be 'vulnerable' to, other than temptation?

Many Facebook users supported the mum-of-two's idea and said that 'selfish' people should be 'ashamed' they are ruining the honesty box for others. But others branded it 'daft' and suggested she was 'dangling a carrot' in front of vulnerable people.

One commented: 'Haa. If I was struggling or homeless and there were cakes sitting there, I would also help myself.

'Same with kids who don't have cash or nothing good from home! Not to mention the tearaway and stoners!!

You wonder what sort of life this person has, if the idea that perhaps it's not a good idea to help yourself to things that don't belong to you is treated as a bizarre concept, not worth even considering. And perhaps, if her attitude is so widespread now, a clue to why society appears to be devolving..?

'Try securing, protecting and managing it and not expecting the other eight billion people in the world to think and act like you want them to. You dangled a carrot and now you're sad someone got a bite.'

A second agreed and said: 'We live in a dishonest world. If kids get wind of free cakes, what's going to happen? Daft idea to begin with.'

Do we live in a dishonest world? How did it get that way? Was it because people like these were never taught right from wrong?

However, one commented: 'Whoever you are who are taking and not paying should be truly ashamed of yourselves. 'This lady works so hard to bring joy to many many cake loving people and you are just spoiling it for the majority. Do the right thing please.' Another said: 'Oh that's rubbish, I don't understand what's wrong with people these days. So selfish.'

Me neither. But a world in which no-one ever tried what this lady tried isn't one I think I want to be living in.... 

Words And Actions In Total Disconnect

Carol Shaw was subjected to a savage attack by Kieran Matthew, 17, that left her unconscious in a pool of blood after she asked him to change separately from other pupils. Shortly after carrying out the vicious assault on March 22, 2024, at St Paul's Academy in Dundee, the teenager put his feet up on another teacher's desk and said: 'The stupid cow deserved it.'

The court heard Ms Shaw had been left 'permanently disfigured' with a 'significant scar' and was too traumatised to return to work. It comes as she had 'dedicated her life to vulnerable school children like [Matthew]'.

Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith added: 'It is difficult to imagine a more serious assault, having regard to the consequences of your attack for Ms Shaw. 'It is not over-egging the pudding or exaggerating to say your attack has affected her life in every aspect. She is permanently disfigured. Photos show an extensive, significant scar on her head.

'Until her promotion, she was the safe person for you to seek sanctuary with if you felt overwhelmed. She has dedicated her life to vulnerable school children such as you. 'You have robbed her of her career as she has been unable to go back to school due to panic attacks, nightmares and night terrors as a result of this assault

.Note the continued referral to this young thug as the one who is 'vulnerable', despite his actions proving that it's those around him and his explosive temper, lack of self-control and disregard of authority who are vulnerable. 

The horrific assault took place after the pupil, who was in S5 at the Dundee school, refused to get changed separately from other pupils before a PE class. This measure - agreed by Matthew, his foster mum and the school - had been put in place because of previous aggression towards other children.

And of course, he's portrayed as the victim by the court system. 

Solicitor Theo Finlay, defending, said Matthew had moved to foster care as a young child after being subjected to abuse in his biological family home. Mr Finlay said: 'He has had longstanding issues managing his emotions. It is likely he was already in a heightened condition. He experiences nightmares and requires to be medicated.

He requires to be removed from society entirely, and medicated where he belongs - in a secure institution. But this is Great Britain, where there's no longer any hope of justice for the actual victim:

'He told Matthew the offence merited 18 months in custody, but said it would be reduced for an early guilty plea. He said it would then fall within the sentencing rules on avoiding short-term sentences [under 12 months] for first offenders if an alternative is available. Matthew has also been placed under social work supervision for three years and ordered to attend Mentoring for Men and Designer Skills courses including anger management.

And ‘These People’ Isn’t Who You Might Think…

Who does she mean, Reader?

Things have changed in my local sandwich shop. Every so often, in the middle of ringing through my americano, the server will go stock still, like a savannah predator who has spotted a tiny rustling movement in the grass. Then, whiskers twitching, he will suddenly dart out from behind the counter and rush after some youth who has just made it out of the door, swipe their pilfered lunch from their hands in one practised movement, and then return with the spoils: a Coke, say, or a chicken wrap, to general applause. He doesn’t appear to have been harmed, yet, by his light-fingered customers — but I do worry about him. It seems to be getting worse.

Is it, perhaps, 'shoplifters'?

Labour has fingered a culprit: this week Yvette Cooper put the blame on what she called a “shoplifters’ charter” — a change brought in under Theresa May which made lifting an item under £200 a mere “summary offence”, intended to speed things up and take the burden off the courts: police can deal with it themselves. Cooper has argued that this cut deterrents and has therefore encouraged more crime.

Oh, so it's one of Britain's worst PMs in living memory, then? But she's only one person (thank heavens!). 

Removing the lesser “summary offence” will mean shoplifters will have to be sent through the court system, putting more strain on a service which already has a vast backlog. Ramping up deterrents for this relatively low-level crime will also send vulnerable people to jail.

Oh oh! When the new meaning of 'vulnerable' comes in, you can tell where this is heading... 

But stricter rules mean little if you can’t catch offenders in the first place. And this is hard to do, even with far more police on the case.

Your sandwich shop man managed it.  

First, shoplifting is generally done surreptitiously within the store — the steak in the coat pocket, the baby formula in the nappy bag — but shops are not public spaces, so police can’t follow suspicious people down the aisles.

That's what security guards are for!  

All they can do is patrol past the door — an obstacle the practiced shoplifter can overcome by waiting until they pass. Police can’t frisk everyone on the way out.

Here’s the problem that neither party can face up to. The real culprits behind the rise in shoplifting may also be among its victims: large chain stores. And the real solution may not in fact lie with the justice system. Let me explain.

Well, who had supermarkets on their bingo card? Certainly not me!  

While automation has generally reduced crime — new locking systems have virtually eliminated car theft — in large chain stores it has done the opposite.

Car theft is up not down! 

A rise in sensors and self-checkout, particularly during the pandemic, has saved these shops money on staff but has created losses elsewhere: it has made it much easier to steal things. Why didn’t these shops put people straight back behind the tills once they realised what was going on? Well, perhaps they were making a cost-benefit calculation — writing off stock shrinkage against savings in salaries. Fair enough, but what if it is the lawlessness generated by these policies that has now resulted in thefts in my local sandwich shop? Once theft becomes normalised, it can spread. It is unfair for large retailers to strip their shops of staff and then place the burden of resulting crimes on the state.

That's not convincing, frankly. I use these self-service tills when I have to, yet I've never waltzed into Greggs and swiped a sandwich then walked out without paying. Why do some people do it?  

Oh, Gosh, It's Another Hard-To-Fathom Puzzle...

...surely the answer can't just be 'because they aren't very bright' again, can it?

With the announcement this week of her death at 61, the mystery remains of just how she enthralled prime ministers and princes, celebrities and the gullible rich who were all seduced by her crazily flamboyant outfits and equally fantastical claims about her charity.

David Cameron was said to have been inspired for his famous 'hug a hoodie' declaration by her work and she became a symbol of his Big Society concept. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were both fans. Cherie Blair and Samantha Cameron, who named her as her Inspirational Woman of the Year, lent their support from Downing Street. The then Prince Charles was another fan.

Oh, I guess it can. 

Miles Goslett, the journalist who first raised concerns about Kids Company in print in 2014, told how two former staff members said drugs and designer clothes were often purchased with these cash handouts. 'The people who were being given the money were the very opposite of the picture most charitable people would form in their mind if they heard the words 'vulnerable children',' he said.

The picture that forms in people mind's when they hear that phrase these days? Well, actually... 

Why Should Anyone Care About His 'Emotional Stress'..?

He's not the victim here, he's the perpetrator of it!

The now 41-year-old killer was granted a private hearing after the Parole Board ruled that a public one would cause 'disproportionate emotional stress' to Venables, but he still didn't show up.

The source told the Sun: 'It makes a mockery of it all. He's been a coward to the end. He probably didn't want to hear the impact statements so took the easy option.'

No doubt the useless Tories will try to have him dragged in chains to the hearing in a desperate attempt to stop the hemorrhaging voter base now... 

Denise Fergus, 54, James's mother, said she endured 'three decades of hell' after Venables killed her son and urged the board to 'keep people safe from this monster' by denying his parole.

Ah, if only that was actually in their job description. 

Welcome To Upside Down Land...

...no, not Australia! The 'Guardian', where antisocial nuisances are 'vulnerable people'.

And efforts to curb their effect on ordinary people going about their lives are to be fought against, not  welcomed.

These wide-ranging measures have so far been used to criminalise everyone from rough sleepers to buskers and cyclists. Southend-on-Sea, for example, has banned people from “using bikes in a way that has a negative effect for others”.

As someone who has almost been run down a few times by speeding bikes in Southend High St, and helped pick up an elderly lady who wasn't so lucky, can I say 'Well done, Southend Council, well done!' 

...the plan is unmistakably rooted in policies cooked up under New Labour. In the decade after 1997, the perceived scourge of antisocial behaviour was a staple of political discourse and regularly made headlines. Tony Blair’s government broadly defined antisocial behaviour as that which causes nuisance, harassment, annoyance, alarm or distress and introduced several measures to manage it.

So anti-social behaviour is only a 'perceived scourge' in the tiny mind of this stupid woman? It's not a real scourge, that blights the lives of those who have to live with it?

'Nuisance, harassment, alarm and distress' are just things people should learn to live with? Seems like a funny thing for an airhead more used to writing about dating apps or the importance of getting a good night's sleep to hang her hat on...

In attempting to “out-punitive” one another, Labour and the Conservatives are using law and order rhetoric as a convenient distraction from the actual problems people are facing. Instead of stamping out “greedflation” – which has seen corporations use the cost of living crisis to push up their profits – the government is seemingly more concerned with, for example, banning the use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.

That's the 'greedflation' that isn't actually happening? And the laughing gas that's proving a danger and a nuisance to cleaning crews?

Sounds like it's no laughing matter, Daisy.

And They Call It 'Justice'...

The brother of a man who died after being assaulted in his own home has said he has been “excluded from justice” after magistrates barred him from court on the grounds that his presence would put the teenage attacker under “undue stress”.

Yes, you read that right! He beat an elderly man to death in his own home, but he's the 'vulnerable' one!

Members of the public are not normally allowed into youth courts, but magistrates can use their discretion to permit victims and their loved ones to attend. Quigley was distraught that the boy’s welfare had been placed above his own.

“It was to be part of my healing process, my closure,” he said. “But I was disregarded because the offender’s welfare was given priority, not mine. Who was thinking of me?”

No-one. Their concern was entirely for the monster 'child'... 

What was his pathetic sentence, anyway? 

The boy, a first-time offender, was given a 12-month youth referral order, to be served in the community, and fines totalling £146. 

*speechless* 

This Is Obscene...

A female carer was stabbed to death and two others were seriously injured by a vulnerable patient at a supported-living home yesterday before armed police stormed the facility.Police said two other female carers, aged 29 and 58, were injured in the attack.

Wait, surely they were the vulnerable ones..? 

Why were they there in a group of three and yet were still overpowered by what was no doubt a strapping man with ment...

Armed officers stormed the home and arrested and charged a 32-year-old woman in connection with the death and serious assaults.

*blinks* 

How Many More Failures Of The Mental Health System Can We Stand?

A man has been jailed for life after carrying out a machete attack on a random commuter on a tube train in London.

No, not an incident of gang violence this time. The 'random commuter' tells us what we're dealing with here...

Morgan denied attempted murder on grounds of insanity but was found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey in May.

It's now September. I guess the usual 'reports' had to be provided... 

Despite attending the trial, Porritt said he still had unanswered questions and was left feeling unsafe. As a result of his injuries, he can no longer sign his own name or do sports he used to enjoy.

“This is not fair; I do not deserve this,” he said. “This should not have happened to me.”

No, it shouldn't. But when someone snaps suddenly and without any warn... 

The court heard that Morgan had a history of low-level violence dating back to the age of 13.

*sighs* 

How 'low-level' are we talking about here...? 

He had 26 previous convictions for 58 offences, including discharging a sawn-off shotgun into a private house.

*blinks* 

Well, at least the defence can't make him out to be the victim here for o...

In mitigation, Warwick Aleeson acknowledged Porritt’s “deeply moving” statement and said the offences were likely to have come about as a result of Morgan’s “profound and serious undiagnosed schizophrenia”.

On Morgan’s willingness to seek treatment, the barrister said: “Ricky Morgan does not wish to be the terrified, deluded creature living in a room he had barricaded from the outside world, believing attackers were going to kill him.”

*throws hands in the air* 

'What will now happen to Y?'

Might I suggest humane euthanasia? 

'The answer is that the local authority simply must find him an alternative placement.' 

I suppose Whipsnade Zoo is out of the question..? 

And no, I'm not over-egging the danger this 'child' poses:

'In the circumstances, Y is currently and inappropriately placed on a clinical ward at (the hospital), where he has had to be subject to chemical restraint, physical restraint and five-to-one staffing in order to attempt to control his behaviour,' said the judge.

'At times there have been up to 13 police officers present on the ward in an effort to control Y's behaviour.

'That paediatric ward has now had to be shut to new admissions due to the risk presented by Y, and parts of the ward have been closed entirely.

'Other gravely ill children have had to be moved to alternative hospitals across the North West of England and lists of elective surgeries for children in urgent need of such treatment have been cancelled.

'Nurses and other hospital staff have been injured.

'Other sick children and their parents have been alarmed and frightened.'

The impact of this one 'child' on everyone else is staggering. He's soaking up scarce resources to the detriment of other children, and no-one seems to care... 

The judge said the situation had arisen in the boy's case because of 'an acute lack of appropriate resources'.

'Insofar as fault falls to be apportioned, it must settle on those who have not made the provision required to address the needs of highly vulnerable children such as Y.'

Ah, yes, of course. I forgot that he's the 'vulnerable' one... 

Just What Was She Being 'Supported' To Do?

Another case where the state gives a good shoeing to the lexicon:

Verphy Kudi's daughter Asiah perished in a flat at a 'supported housing' block in Brighton in December 2019 after being left alone for six days with no food or water.

And what was she doing all this time? Well, what any young black single mother would do, rather than look after the child: 

Now, it has been revealed Kudi tried to sell concert tickets on Twitter on the day the baby's body was found. Another tweet showed her attempting to become a Pretty Little Thing model months after Asiah's death.

So...just who was supporting the baby, if not the feckless mother (or unidentified father, it goes without saying)? 

Kudi's flat was one of eight in a residential complex run by charity YMCA DownsLink to house vulnerable young families on behalf of Brighton City Council.

Not content with leaving the word 'supported' gasping in the gutter with broken ribs, the state is looking menacingly at the word 'vulnerable', spitting on its hands and rolling up its sleeves for another round... 

YMCA DownsLink staff are located at the entrance to the block at all times. Residents with social workers can receive visits but because the flats are independent units YMCA staff do not enter the living areas or carry out regular inspections.

And no-one heard an unattended crying baby and thought 'that sounds suspicious'? Sheesh... 

Baby Asiah did not have a social worker.

No, of course not. Why would she need one, swaddled as she was in the tender arms of the st...oh, wait, that was her mother. Silly me. 

Kudi has repeatedly gone missing since the age of 14 and been the subject of numerous police appeals. MailOnline has asked the council if she had a social worker at the time of her baby’s death.

The answer is almost certainly 'Yes'. Bet they have a few questions to answer... 

Judge Christine Laing QC told Kudi: 'You have heard that before I get to sentence you the defence want to get a report on your behalf and a doctor will no doubt make arrangements to see you and interview you over the next few weeks.'

The case was adjourned to a provisional sentencing date of May 28, but Kudi was warned this may be delayed.

Now she's the victim, you see.  

Wait, You Need Training Not To Do This..?

A prison officer who had an affair with an inmate was spared an immediate jail sentence today after a judge ruled her 'lack of training' was partly to blame.

*speechless* 

Rocha, of Norwich, was vulnerable at the time as she had only come out of an eight year abusive relationship in 2017.

/facepalm 

She said she knew the relationship with a prisoner was wrong but claimed she had only been given one training session on the issue.

I was only given one training session on not sticking my fingers into a running office shredder, and I'm typing this with both hands! 

The judge added: 'It's the resources that are just not there. It's not your fault that you didn't have sufficient training.

'Once the resources are there, then this sort of offending will diminish. That is where the heart of the problem arises.'

No, judge, I think the heart of the problem lies in recruiting people manifestly unsuited to the job on identity politics grounds, and then allowing them to avoid any trace whatsoever of personal responsibility, aided and abetted by a judicial system that also manifestly unsuited to the task.

And there's nothing whatsoever that 'more resources' will do to fix this... 

If This Is A 'Partnership', It's An Abusive One...

Trident said it operated a partnered approach with residents in the area while supporting its vulnerable guests.

In response to the claims, Trident said: “As an essential service, our frontline commissioned Homeless Services are currently working with people who quite often have complex needs.

"Whilst we aim to support those most vulnerable in Birmingham and the wider Midlands area, we also aim to work in collaboration and participation with people who reside around Washington Court so a partnered approach can take place.

"This way we can ensure we all work together in providing the much-needed help and support to people most in need in our society.”

And what are these people most in need of?

A retail worker, who has lived in the apartments for 12 years, told BirminghamLive: "I've seen them urinating against cars, pulling down people's fences, we've seen them fighting among themselves, openly taking drugs in front of children and drinking in the street.

"There's shouting and screaming at any time of the day, including in the afternoon. The noise from it is atrocious, we had to have security down.

"It's like a war zone sometimes, you can't hear yourself think. The lockdown has made it worse."

Some 'partnership'. What's in it for the decent residents in the area, apart from an open air production of 'The Best Of Jeremy Kyle'..?

Abusing That Word Again...

Julie Whitby, prosecuting, told the court the incident happened at the Ranworth Hotel in Pevensey Road, Eastbourne in September last year.

She said: “The victim went up to have some drinks, but noted the large number of bottles and that Martin had been smoking cannabis.

“Martin attempted to kiss the victim out of the blue, which took him by surprise. So he told him to back off, it was not acceptable.

“Later the victim returned to the room to collect a bottle he had left there. Martin indicated that he fancied the victim and that he loved him. Martin’s own partner was still present. Then he launched himself at the victim sitting in a chair, and both men went to the floor.

“The victim was trapped and as he tried to break free, Martin bit his left ear lobe then spat it on the floor.”

Ugh! Well, GBH gets you about two years in the Big House, doesn't it?

Rebecca Upton, defending, said Martin, formerly of Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, had a tough upbringing and has struggled with both his mental and physical health.

He was intoxicated on too much alcohol, cannabis, and prescription drugs and was not in control.

Why is this mitigation, and not an aggravating factor? If I get behind the wheel of a car while plastered and high, it won't be, will it?

Ms Upton said that both Martin and the victim are classed as vulnerable adults.

Huh..? Why?

Judge Waddicor said the attack was “devastating” for the victim and said: “The fact you spat out part of his ear onto the floor reinforces how deplorable your behaviour was.”

But given Martin’s vulnerabilities, she suspended the sentence.

*speechless*

Why Are They Always Mugshots..?

Because they are, aren't they?

That Word 'Vulnerable' Is Misused Again...

The elderly man was arrested by North Wales police, but later released with a caution.

North Wales Police's Rural Crime Unit described the man as “vulnerable and elderly” on Twitter, without revealing the name of the culprit or when and where it took place.

What did this 'vulnerable' old geezer do? Why, just caught and cut open a heron that had eaten a duckling, that's all. Because he's a bird lover, you see...

...

...

No. Me neither.

Some people responded to the Tweet by criticising the police decision to let the man off with a caution.

The heron is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fines or prison sentences available for anyone killing or attempting to kill one.

But our fearless guardians of wildlife beg to differ. It's not like the Heron Ripper was a gamekeeper, or something....

North Wales Police said: “These decisions are never taken lightly and a number of factors are addressed. This was a vulnerable elderly man, who confessed voluntarily to the action with no previous convictions.”

If he'd been dressed in tweed carrying a shotgun with a Labrador at heel, I suspect they'd have gone to town.

H/T: ShootingTimes via Twitter

Ah, I Think I See The Main Issue Here....

A mother was horrified to discover her six-year-old autistic son was being forced to wear a fluorescent yellow bib at school.

Joanne Logan, 42, claims she only found out her son Charlie was being made to wear a bib 'so teachers know he's autistic' when he told her about it.

Despite the school telling her this, which she claims to have forgotten.

Ms Logan, a mother-of-five, said she was 'fuming' and described the school's actions as 'disgusting' and 'discrimination'.

Really? How else are the school sup[posed to know who needs extra care?

What sort of extra care does he require, anyway?

She added: 'I knew during lunch break he's not always allowed out because he has been accused of hurting the other children, I know there's an issue there which the school have to work with me on.'

Ah. I think I see the problem now.

A range of colour-coded collars has been launched to let owners alert others to the temperament of their pets. Bright red means you should steer clear of an aggressive pooch...

It's clearly the wrong colour bib! 

Brave Enough In A Gang, Though...

The defendant, from Harlow, sat next to his father at the back of the court and was not in the dock.

The barristers and Judge Patricia Lynch QC removed their wigs for the hearing due to the vulnerability and age of the defendant and witnesses.

Not so 'vulnerable' that he can't assault a grown man. With seven of this thuggish friends to back him up. From behind, of course.

Sentences That Just Make No Sense At All...

A vulnerable woman held a kitchen knife to her care worker’s throat...

Wait, which one's 'vulnerable' here..?!? .

..because she was enraged that the last doughnut had been eaten by a male resident in her supported accommodation, a Bradford Crown Court jury heard.

Oh, well, so long as she had a reason...

Prosecutor Nick Adlington said two psychiatrists had found that she was “under a disability” which meant she could not participate in the trial process.

Then why bother with a trial?

Recorder Hawks sentenced her to a two year supervision order, calling it “an unpleasant and terrifying incident”.

He told Longbottom: “Nothing is going to happen to you. You will be going back to the address where you live.”

What a total waste of public money.