POLICE are keen to hear people’s opinions about plans to bring in a drinking zone in the recreation ground in Ilminster, Somerset where by people physically present in the zone must legally be in possession of and consume alcohol.
They are working with Ilminster Town Council to increase anti-social behaviour in the area, as a result the police will make more arrests, and this will be used as an excuse to raise taxes.
PCSO Karen Pack said: “We would like the public’s views on this, including their current worries and the pros and cons of introducing a mandatory drinking zone.
“Drinking on the recreation ground causes various problems, such as increased litter – there are often broken bottles left around – and other types of antisocial behaviour.
“Essentially this will create problems, but then we will come along and offer the solution, as a result we can raise taxes to splash out on luxuries for ourselves.”
To share your thoughts, drop a note through the police station letter box, pick up a postcard from the town hall or email 8391@avonandsomerset.police.uk or 8075@avonandsomerset.police.uk
Sunday 22 December 2013
Teenager from Strood returned to parents after shining a harmless torch at police helicopter
A teenager was returned to his parents' house in Strood, Kent after shining a flashlight at a police helicopter which although wasn't a serious danger to the aircraft or the officers aboard, it did distract them from carrying out their job.
A 17-year-old was detained by police on suspicion of distracting officers from the lawful execution of their duty in Rochester High Street at 11.30pm on Saturday.
The helicopter was helping with enquiries into reports of a burglary in Wainscott.
The boy, who is from Strood was found with a copy of the video game GTA V and when he was returned home the officers told his parents that it was "probably" the video game that was causing his criminal behaviour and they should take it off him before he progresses to even more serious crime such as shining flashlights at passenger jets.
A 17-year-old was detained by police on suspicion of distracting officers from the lawful execution of their duty in Rochester High Street at 11.30pm on Saturday.
The helicopter was helping with enquiries into reports of a burglary in Wainscott.
The boy, who is from Strood was found with a copy of the video game GTA V and when he was returned home the officers told his parents that it was "probably" the video game that was causing his criminal behaviour and they should take it off him before he progresses to even more serious crime such as shining flashlights at passenger jets.
Sunday 1 December 2013
More foreigners filling Norway’s jails, Norwegians urged to commit more crimes
Since 2006, the number of foreign inmates has doubled, giving Norway the highest proportion of foreign prisoners in Scandinavia, according to statistics from the Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy (KRUS).
Thirty-three percent of the country’s 3,642 prisoners are foreign citizens, with many Lithuanians and Poles falling foul of the criminal justice system in recent years, newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
As a result of this, the Norwegian government has urged more Norwegians to commit more crimes to rectify the issue.
At a press conference in Oslo, Norway's prime minister, Erna Solberg said: "We need more people in Norway to start committing crimes so we can start getting these immigrants out of our prisons."
“So get out there, rob a shop, hold up an old lady, put a window through, commit serious fraud, and do it with a feeling of civic pride, you may be committing crime but you are also helping your country and that is a good thing.”
Grete Faremo, a Norwegian politician and previously head of the Minister of Justice and Police said: “We are urging Norwegian citizens to commit crimes so we can start filling up Norway's prisons with our own kind. However potential criminals are to be warned that the sentences that will be given out will be just as severe, after all we need more of you in prison.”
The government has already started a crime encouragement campaign, supported by Norwegian national broadcaster NRK. From 2014 programmes on Norwegian TV and radio will carry subliminal messages to try and brainwash people into committing crimes such as murder, which will result in lengthy prison sentences.
Thirty-three percent of the country’s 3,642 prisoners are foreign citizens, with many Lithuanians and Poles falling foul of the criminal justice system in recent years, newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
As a result of this, the Norwegian government has urged more Norwegians to commit more crimes to rectify the issue.
At a press conference in Oslo, Norway's prime minister, Erna Solberg said: "We need more people in Norway to start committing crimes so we can start getting these immigrants out of our prisons."
“So get out there, rob a shop, hold up an old lady, put a window through, commit serious fraud, and do it with a feeling of civic pride, you may be committing crime but you are also helping your country and that is a good thing.”
Grete Faremo, a Norwegian politician and previously head of the Minister of Justice and Police said: “We are urging Norwegian citizens to commit crimes so we can start filling up Norway's prisons with our own kind. However potential criminals are to be warned that the sentences that will be given out will be just as severe, after all we need more of you in prison.”
The government has already started a crime encouragement campaign, supported by Norwegian national broadcaster NRK. From 2014 programmes on Norwegian TV and radio will carry subliminal messages to try and brainwash people into committing crimes such as murder, which will result in lengthy prison sentences.
Flyers have also been posted in the streets of Oslo, Stavanger and Bergen urging people to break the window of the next shop or house they walk past. However the new campaign is also discouraging non-Norwegian citizens from committing crimes and requests that all foreigners remain law abiding citizens.
Sunday 24 November 2013
Ex-police worker caught downloading Justin Bieber
A former civilian police employee has appeared before court after secretly downloading Justin Bieber's music at home, a court heard.
Michael Dale, 33 was also an army reserve officer dealing with cadets since 1999 and working for the charity, Action For Blind People, when he was arrested under Section 4 of the Offensive Music Act 2013.
He had formerly worked for Leicestershire Police and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Leicester Crown Court was told earlier this week that he accessed indecent audio clips of Bieber's music, and his Internet browsing history showed he had viewed video clips of his music videos and live performances on YouTube, which were found on two laptops. Additionally a memory stick was found containing all of Bieber's albums.
Michael Dale, 33 was also an army reserve officer dealing with cadets since 1999 and working for the charity, Action For Blind People, when he was arrested under Section 4 of the Offensive Music Act 2013.
He had formerly worked for Leicestershire Police and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Leicester Crown Court was told earlier this week that he accessed indecent audio clips of Bieber's music, and his Internet browsing history showed he had viewed video clips of his music videos and live performances on YouTube, which were found on two laptops. Additionally a memory stick was found containing all of Bieber's albums.
Under the Offensive Music Act 2013 it is illegal for a male adult over the age of 18 to listen to music intended for young females including all of Justin Bieber's music because it "takes away attention from actual decent artists."
His barrister, Walter Daniel, told Judge Richard Salter QC: "All he's worked for has gone, he's lost a great deal."
Dale, formerly of Linkway Gardens, Leicester, has also split up with his long-term partner since his offensive musical taste came to light.
He has now moved to Newry, Northern Ireland after the local community in the Leicester area found out he was a fan of Justin Bieber and laughed at him and poked fun at him.
He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possessing indecent songs of Justin Bieber.
Dale was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with a requirement to attend a music offender group work programme, where he will undergo brainwashing techniques to make him believe that Justin Bieber's music is rubbish and he should only listen to decent artists such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
The offences related to indecent audio and video clips of Justin Bieber's songs, music videos and live performances which were all in the most serious category, level five.
Sentencing, Judge Richard Salter QC said a video in the most serious category from Dale's laptop showed Justin Bieber performing his songs on tour in Germany. He said: "People should be under no illusion about the sort of material we are dealing with."
He said he was taking a merciful course in society's best interests so Dale could undergo an intensive music offences course to protect the integrity of good artists who are known for their music and not their good looks.
Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said on January 25 this year, a warrant was executed at his Leicester home and computer equipment seized as well as other offensive articles such as CDs, a stereo, and wall posters and photographs of Bieber.
In interview, Dale openly confessed saying he downloaded the material after becoming "obsessed" with Bieber's music and had listened to his songs for about two years.
He has since voluntarily attended the music offences course in an effort to rehabilitate himself, the court was told.
Dale, who has no previous convictions and was a civilian worker for Leicestershire Police, was placed on a 10-year music offences prevention order, which bans him from listening to local CHR/Top 40 radio stations, his iTunes account will also have added restrictions to stop him from downloading modern boy bands.
His barrister, Walter Daniel, told Judge Richard Salter QC: "All he's worked for has gone, he's lost a great deal."
Dale, formerly of Linkway Gardens, Leicester, has also split up with his long-term partner since his offensive musical taste came to light.
He has now moved to Newry, Northern Ireland after the local community in the Leicester area found out he was a fan of Justin Bieber and laughed at him and poked fun at him.
He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possessing indecent songs of Justin Bieber.
Dale was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with a requirement to attend a music offender group work programme, where he will undergo brainwashing techniques to make him believe that Justin Bieber's music is rubbish and he should only listen to decent artists such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
The offences related to indecent audio and video clips of Justin Bieber's songs, music videos and live performances which were all in the most serious category, level five.
Sentencing, Judge Richard Salter QC said a video in the most serious category from Dale's laptop showed Justin Bieber performing his songs on tour in Germany. He said: "People should be under no illusion about the sort of material we are dealing with."
He said he was taking a merciful course in society's best interests so Dale could undergo an intensive music offences course to protect the integrity of good artists who are known for their music and not their good looks.
Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said on January 25 this year, a warrant was executed at his Leicester home and computer equipment seized as well as other offensive articles such as CDs, a stereo, and wall posters and photographs of Bieber.
In interview, Dale openly confessed saying he downloaded the material after becoming "obsessed" with Bieber's music and had listened to his songs for about two years.
He has since voluntarily attended the music offences course in an effort to rehabilitate himself, the court was told.
Dale, who has no previous convictions and was a civilian worker for Leicestershire Police, was placed on a 10-year music offences prevention order, which bans him from listening to local CHR/Top 40 radio stations, his iTunes account will also have added restrictions to stop him from downloading modern boy bands.
The judge ordered Dale to listen to the entire X&Y album from Coldplay. He was also ordered to pay £300 court costs, a £15 victim surcharge and carry out 250 hours unpaid work while listening to The Beatles on his iPod.
Friday 8 November 2013
Jobless father who blew benefits on sausage rolls banned from ALL Greggs bakery on 13-mile stretch of coast
A feckless father has been banned from every single Greggs along an entire 13 mile stretch of coastland after going on a six year sausage roll addiction funded by state handouts.
Jobless Mervin Gardener, 25, terrorised police, supermarket security guards, supermarket till workers, supermarket shelf re-stockers, Greggs workers and the public after blowing his benefit money on sausage rolls at various supermarkets and Greggs shops in Blackpool and other towns and villages bordering the Lancashire seaside resort.
In the latest incident, Gardener was said to have behaved like a 'wild animal' when he was refused the sale of the rolls, biting a store security guard before kicking a policewoman called to the scene to restrain him.
In previous incidents he abused paramedics trying to help him after he was found collapsed after having withdrawal symptoms - and in another stormed round a taxi rank shouting: 'I’m going to kill someone unless a sausage roll is in my mouth in five minutes.'
Since November 2007 Gardener has been a familiar figure at Blackpool magistrates court for his unusual addiction where he was given fines or supervision orders.
He claimed to be getting treatment for his addiction to sausage rolls and vowed to give them up completely.
But a picture posted on his Facebook page only last week showed him stuffing a 6 pack of sausage rolls into his mouth with the message: 'These rolls are so good, I can't stop eating them.'
Today Lancashire Police said Gardener, who has a young daughter, had been issued with a year long 'Category D' Food Banning Order barring him from purchasing processed foods and pastries in all supermarkets across at least 16 different towns and villages across the Fylde Coast.
The order also bans him from Greggs and was imposed as he was jailed for four months after being convicted of two assaults, and breaches of previous court orders after he failed to stop his addiction.
It means he is barred from buying, eating or possessing processed foods or pastries in public and from entering certain supermarket aisles that serve the restricted products covered by the ban.
The FBO will come into force once he is freed from jail. If he is caught inside a restricted supermarket aisle or purchasing banned foods from the black market he faces a maximum fine of £15 and a warning not to do it again.
Blackpool JP Mark Cowburn told him: 'We feel we have a duty to protect the people of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. These offences you have committed and previous offences, show you are a dangerous individual.'
Afterwards the area manager of Tesco said: 'This man has been a total menace to our branches up and down the Fylde Coast.
'The problem is he is so obsessed with sausage rolls that he will almost want to kill anyone who gets in his way of buying them.
‘What amazes us is how is able to afford so many packs of rolls. He’s supposed to be unemployed yet it seems he can gallivant around funding his life of savoury pastry with his welfare handouts. It’s a disgrace.'
Gardener was initially before the court in November 2007 for disorderly behaviour after he insisted on shouting and swearing in the street - despite pleas from an officer for him to go home.
A woman at a taxi rank was so concerned about Gardener's behaviour she asked a police officer to stay with her until her cab arrived as he yelled: 'I’m going to kill someone.'
At the time Gardener claimed he was angry because Tesco had sold out of sausage roll packs and Greggs was closed.
But in June 2009 he was back in court for littering after being seen eating sausage rolls in public, then discarding the packet onto the floor.
The following November Gardener was back in court again after he was again angry at the fact Tesco had sold out of sausage rolls, he began throwing punches in the air and threatened a group of people saying he was going 'to kick their heads in'.
He promised again he was trying to sort his life out and had been on a pastry foods rehabilitation course.
But in July this year he was invited to a party where sausage rolls were served, he threatened the party guests that he would kill them if they took the sausage rolls, and he ate them all himself in 30 seconds. Police were called and he was arrested for making threats to kill or injure.
The latest incident occurred in the early afternoon of September 29 when police were called to the Asda in Blackpool after Gardener was seen 'bouncing' around on the supermarket floor with a packet of sausage rolls in his hand, stuffing them into his face one by one.
A security guard tried to eject him from the store but he was bitten on the forearm. Police arrived and had to use a strange technique where they lured him to the police van by placing sausage rolls in a line from the aisle to the back of the van.
In mitigation Gardener said he had problems with the police and people in authority when he is refused his pastry cuisine. He was vowing to get more treatment for his addiction.
After the case Sgt Jim Richards, of Blackpool Police said: 'Gardener has assaulted two people for doing their jobs. The security guard was trying to restore order in the supermarket by removing Gardener when he started being abusive to the other shoppers around him.
'And then Gardener has assaulted an officer responding to Gardener's assault of the security guard during the lawful execution of her duty.
'These actions are completely unacceptable, and we welcome the magistrates’ decision to imprison Gardener. As both of these assaults were fuelled by the pastries, we also sought a Food Banning Order in Category D.
She added: 'We will continue to seek Food Banning Orders in a bid to reduce the amount of nourishment-fuelled offenders who are harming others, as they are a great way to protect the public.'
Gardener's previous Facebook post read: 'I’m getting mad that the people in the supermarket just keep saying they don't have any sausage rolls left because I've eaten them all. F***ing idiots.'
Jobless Mervin Gardener, 25, terrorised police, supermarket security guards, supermarket till workers, supermarket shelf re-stockers, Greggs workers and the public after blowing his benefit money on sausage rolls at various supermarkets and Greggs shops in Blackpool and other towns and villages bordering the Lancashire seaside resort.
In the latest incident, Gardener was said to have behaved like a 'wild animal' when he was refused the sale of the rolls, biting a store security guard before kicking a policewoman called to the scene to restrain him.
In previous incidents he abused paramedics trying to help him after he was found collapsed after having withdrawal symptoms - and in another stormed round a taxi rank shouting: 'I’m going to kill someone unless a sausage roll is in my mouth in five minutes.'
Since November 2007 Gardener has been a familiar figure at Blackpool magistrates court for his unusual addiction where he was given fines or supervision orders.
He claimed to be getting treatment for his addiction to sausage rolls and vowed to give them up completely.
But a picture posted on his Facebook page only last week showed him stuffing a 6 pack of sausage rolls into his mouth with the message: 'These rolls are so good, I can't stop eating them.'
Today Lancashire Police said Gardener, who has a young daughter, had been issued with a year long 'Category D' Food Banning Order barring him from purchasing processed foods and pastries in all supermarkets across at least 16 different towns and villages across the Fylde Coast.
The order also bans him from Greggs and was imposed as he was jailed for four months after being convicted of two assaults, and breaches of previous court orders after he failed to stop his addiction.
It means he is barred from buying, eating or possessing processed foods or pastries in public and from entering certain supermarket aisles that serve the restricted products covered by the ban.
The FBO will come into force once he is freed from jail. If he is caught inside a restricted supermarket aisle or purchasing banned foods from the black market he faces a maximum fine of £15 and a warning not to do it again.
Blackpool JP Mark Cowburn told him: 'We feel we have a duty to protect the people of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. These offences you have committed and previous offences, show you are a dangerous individual.'
Afterwards the area manager of Tesco said: 'This man has been a total menace to our branches up and down the Fylde Coast.
'The problem is he is so obsessed with sausage rolls that he will almost want to kill anyone who gets in his way of buying them.
‘What amazes us is how is able to afford so many packs of rolls. He’s supposed to be unemployed yet it seems he can gallivant around funding his life of savoury pastry with his welfare handouts. It’s a disgrace.'
Gardener was initially before the court in November 2007 for disorderly behaviour after he insisted on shouting and swearing in the street - despite pleas from an officer for him to go home.
A woman at a taxi rank was so concerned about Gardener's behaviour she asked a police officer to stay with her until her cab arrived as he yelled: 'I’m going to kill someone.'
At the time Gardener claimed he was angry because Tesco had sold out of sausage roll packs and Greggs was closed.
But in June 2009 he was back in court for littering after being seen eating sausage rolls in public, then discarding the packet onto the floor.
The following November Gardener was back in court again after he was again angry at the fact Tesco had sold out of sausage rolls, he began throwing punches in the air and threatened a group of people saying he was going 'to kick their heads in'.
He promised again he was trying to sort his life out and had been on a pastry foods rehabilitation course.
But in July this year he was invited to a party where sausage rolls were served, he threatened the party guests that he would kill them if they took the sausage rolls, and he ate them all himself in 30 seconds. Police were called and he was arrested for making threats to kill or injure.
The latest incident occurred in the early afternoon of September 29 when police were called to the Asda in Blackpool after Gardener was seen 'bouncing' around on the supermarket floor with a packet of sausage rolls in his hand, stuffing them into his face one by one.
A security guard tried to eject him from the store but he was bitten on the forearm. Police arrived and had to use a strange technique where they lured him to the police van by placing sausage rolls in a line from the aisle to the back of the van.
In mitigation Gardener said he had problems with the police and people in authority when he is refused his pastry cuisine. He was vowing to get more treatment for his addiction.
After the case Sgt Jim Richards, of Blackpool Police said: 'Gardener has assaulted two people for doing their jobs. The security guard was trying to restore order in the supermarket by removing Gardener when he started being abusive to the other shoppers around him.
'And then Gardener has assaulted an officer responding to Gardener's assault of the security guard during the lawful execution of her duty.
'These actions are completely unacceptable, and we welcome the magistrates’ decision to imprison Gardener. As both of these assaults were fuelled by the pastries, we also sought a Food Banning Order in Category D.
She added: 'We will continue to seek Food Banning Orders in a bid to reduce the amount of nourishment-fuelled offenders who are harming others, as they are a great way to protect the public.'
Gardener's previous Facebook post read: 'I’m getting mad that the people in the supermarket just keep saying they don't have any sausage rolls left because I've eaten them all. F***ing idiots.'
Wednesday 6 November 2013
Campaign to encourage littering in New York City
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will launch a campaign next month to encourage locals and tourists to the Big Apple to drop litter in the city, a City Hall official said on Thursday.
Under the new campaign, which is designed to keep workers from the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in a job, the city has removed trash containers across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island and the DSNY have announced that they will start trash patrols across the five boroughs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, John J. Doherty, executive commissioner of the DSNY, said.
Located in the centre of Manhattan the New York City Department of Sanitation manages everyday litter that New Yorkers throw away and sends it on trash barges from Battery Park Island across the River Hudson towards New Jersey and also from the northern coast of Queens to Connecticut.
“The month-long campaign will be launched on the 1st December across the entire city. It targets mainly Manhattan because the island attracts many tourists during spring and summer, however we are fully encouraging littering in all of New York's other boroughs” Doherty told the New York Times in a phone interview.
The campaign's primary target is to keep the City's Department of Sanitation going because recently due to high amounts of recycling, a large number of sanitation workers have been laid off, he added.
“We have already removed hundreds of trash containers. We are also putting up signs across the freeways, interstates and expressways that run through New York City encouraging drivers to throw their garbage out of the window and onto the road. Signs have been posted on top of the Empire State Building encouraging visitors to discard their rubbish over the side of the building.” Doherty noted.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg also said he was planning to make littering legal in time for the start of the campaign.
“Under New York state law it is illegal to discard refuse onto the street which could result in a $500 fine. However I am overturning this law for the city so that if you are caught littering, you are instantly rewarded with $500” he told the New York Times.
The campaign not only seeks to encourage people to litter, but also aims at raising awareness about the importance of keeping sanitation workers in a job, especially with Christmas coming up.
Mr Bloomberg continued: "All workers at the New York City Department of Sanitation work extremely hard to keep our city clean, but unfortunately I feel we have gone too far with anti-littering campaigns as people have stopped littering and it has put many sanitation workers out of a job and their families suffer as a result.
Under the new campaign, which is designed to keep workers from the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in a job, the city has removed trash containers across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island and the DSNY have announced that they will start trash patrols across the five boroughs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, John J. Doherty, executive commissioner of the DSNY, said.
Located in the centre of Manhattan the New York City Department of Sanitation manages everyday litter that New Yorkers throw away and sends it on trash barges from Battery Park Island across the River Hudson towards New Jersey and also from the northern coast of Queens to Connecticut.
“The month-long campaign will be launched on the 1st December across the entire city. It targets mainly Manhattan because the island attracts many tourists during spring and summer, however we are fully encouraging littering in all of New York's other boroughs” Doherty told the New York Times in a phone interview.
The campaign's primary target is to keep the City's Department of Sanitation going because recently due to high amounts of recycling, a large number of sanitation workers have been laid off, he added.
“We have already removed hundreds of trash containers. We are also putting up signs across the freeways, interstates and expressways that run through New York City encouraging drivers to throw their garbage out of the window and onto the road. Signs have been posted on top of the Empire State Building encouraging visitors to discard their rubbish over the side of the building.” Doherty noted.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg also said he was planning to make littering legal in time for the start of the campaign.
“Under New York state law it is illegal to discard refuse onto the street which could result in a $500 fine. However I am overturning this law for the city so that if you are caught littering, you are instantly rewarded with $500” he told the New York Times.
The campaign not only seeks to encourage people to litter, but also aims at raising awareness about the importance of keeping sanitation workers in a job, especially with Christmas coming up.
Mr Bloomberg continued: "All workers at the New York City Department of Sanitation work extremely hard to keep our city clean, but unfortunately I feel we have gone too far with anti-littering campaigns as people have stopped littering and it has put many sanitation workers out of a job and their families suffer as a result.
"That's why I am starting this campaign, not only will it make sure current sanitation workers are in a job, but it will also create jobs across the city and strengthen the economy here in New York. Also taking into consideration the fact that we dispose of our litter to New Jersey and Connecticut, it also helps keep workers from those states in a job, so everybody's happy."
New York is the only city in the United States to do this but it is believed that if successful Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Boston and other cities could follow and start similar campaigns.
New York is the only city in the United States to do this but it is believed that if successful Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Boston and other cities could follow and start similar campaigns.
Man sues restaurant over warm beverage and wonky picture
A Hertfordshire man took restaurant establishment owners to court after being served a cold drink warm and being subjected to view a picture on the wall that was not at a straight angle.
John Smith, 36 went into the Pizza Express in Watford High Street last month expecting an evening of luxury cuisine and relaxation, but he found himself seated approximately 15 feet away from a portrait of the Mona Lisa that was tilted at a 20 degree angle.
This caused distraction to the victim who was unable to concentrate on reading his copy of The Sun because every time he raised his head, he would see the wonky frame and would be put off and have to start reading the article from the start because the distraction caused him to lose his place.
After re-reading an article about 7 times he got fed up and requested the restaurant staff to correct the angle of the portrait but they refused by saying that it wasn't their position to do so and that the manager would "kill them" if they touched the decor.
To add insult to injury when Mr Smith ordered a Coca Cola, a beverage which states it is "best served ice cold" he found the offending drink to be "almost 1.1 degrees Celcius" - above freezing and described by the victim as "almost lukewarm."
It is reported that the victim was so disgusted with these errors that he gave Watford's Pizza Express an "unsatisfactory" review with a 2 star rating on Yell.com. However he felt that giving the restaurant bad publicity was not enough and decided to legally challenge them regarding these two issues which caused emotional distress.
John Smith told us: "I had a terrible night at the Pizza Express in Watford. There was a wonky picture of Mona Lisa in front of me and they served my drink 1 degree over the recommended optimum serving temperature.
"When we go into these restaurants we expect a certain level of satisfaction, and I feel that as a result of these issues, I do not feel satisfied. I will never be eating in Pizza Express again if this is how they treat their customers."
The case was heard at Watford County Court where the judge found in favour of Mr Smith and ordered that Pizza Express pay him £100,000 in damages. £50,000 for the wonky picture and £50,000 for the drink.
The restaurant was also given a court order to rectify the problems discovered by Mr Smith. Pizza Express' Watford management have 30 days to comply with the order or they could face further fines.
John Smith, 36 went into the Pizza Express in Watford High Street last month expecting an evening of luxury cuisine and relaxation, but he found himself seated approximately 15 feet away from a portrait of the Mona Lisa that was tilted at a 20 degree angle.
This caused distraction to the victim who was unable to concentrate on reading his copy of The Sun because every time he raised his head, he would see the wonky frame and would be put off and have to start reading the article from the start because the distraction caused him to lose his place.
After re-reading an article about 7 times he got fed up and requested the restaurant staff to correct the angle of the portrait but they refused by saying that it wasn't their position to do so and that the manager would "kill them" if they touched the decor.
To add insult to injury when Mr Smith ordered a Coca Cola, a beverage which states it is "best served ice cold" he found the offending drink to be "almost 1.1 degrees Celcius" - above freezing and described by the victim as "almost lukewarm."
It is reported that the victim was so disgusted with these errors that he gave Watford's Pizza Express an "unsatisfactory" review with a 2 star rating on Yell.com. However he felt that giving the restaurant bad publicity was not enough and decided to legally challenge them regarding these two issues which caused emotional distress.
John Smith told us: "I had a terrible night at the Pizza Express in Watford. There was a wonky picture of Mona Lisa in front of me and they served my drink 1 degree over the recommended optimum serving temperature.
"When we go into these restaurants we expect a certain level of satisfaction, and I feel that as a result of these issues, I do not feel satisfied. I will never be eating in Pizza Express again if this is how they treat their customers."
The case was heard at Watford County Court where the judge found in favour of Mr Smith and ordered that Pizza Express pay him £100,000 in damages. £50,000 for the wonky picture and £50,000 for the drink.
The restaurant was also given a court order to rectify the problems discovered by Mr Smith. Pizza Express' Watford management have 30 days to comply with the order or they could face further fines.
Thursday 31 October 2013
Boys accused of stealing shopping trolley, joy riding around supermarket parking lot
American Police have charged three boys with stealing a shopping trolley from a Target store in Newport News, Virginia and going on a joy ride around the store's car park.
Police allege two 12 year olds and an 11 year old took the shopping cart at 2:00am (EDT) on Wednesday.
CCTV footage from the store shows they stole a four-wheel metal shopping cart while the 12 year old and 11 year old sat in it and the other 12 year old began pushing the cart around the store's parking lot.
Police say about 30 minutes later they got bored and went home. It is further alleged the boys stole shopping receipts that were discarded across the parking lot.
Police allege two 12 year olds and an 11 year old took the shopping cart at 2:00am (EDT) on Wednesday.
CCTV footage from the store shows they stole a four-wheel metal shopping cart while the 12 year old and 11 year old sat in it and the other 12 year old began pushing the cart around the store's parking lot.
Police say about 30 minutes later they got bored and went home. It is further alleged the boys stole shopping receipts that were discarded across the parking lot.
All three are to appear before Newport News Circuit Court where they will have to explain their actions to Chief Justice Judge Timothy S. Fisher.
Sunday 27 October 2013
UFO sightings reported to Coastguard across Kent
More than 20 UFO sightings have been reported to Kent Coastguard in the past three years because the witnesses were high on drugs and a various number of spiked drinks from Medway's nightclubs and thought the Coastguard was the service to deal with UFO sightings and alien-related matters.
A Freedom of Information Act request revealed the agency has had 22 calls about alien spacecrafts in the county since September 2010.
Maidstone was second only to Medway as a hotspot for the UFOs, with four reported. There were three unidentified LGM (little green men) sightings and in January Medway Coastguard were called after enormous crop circles were discovered in a field between Sittingbourne and Rainham.
A Freedom of Information Act request revealed the agency has had 22 calls about alien spacecrafts in the county since September 2010.
Maidstone was second only to Medway as a hotspot for the UFOs, with four reported. There were three unidentified LGM (little green men) sightings and in January Medway Coastguard were called after enormous crop circles were discovered in a field between Sittingbourne and Rainham.
Unfortunately the police were too busy buying doughnuts at the Tesco Express in Gillingham after their doughnut supply was running dangerously low, as a result the Coastguard were called to deal with the problem.
The calls were among 13 cases where the Coastguard took no further action, but twice patrols were sent to search for LGM or their spacecrafts.
In 2010 the Coastguard went to look for one in Dartford, but when they checked local CCTV cameras, they saw nothing but a drunk and/or high person on the phone describing a spaceship but was actually staring at a helicopter that was in the sky.
In June last year a suspected alien was spotted in the Folkestone area, prompting Dover Coastguard to get in touch with the MOD (Ministry of Defense) in case of an attack, it turned out their suspicions were wrong, it was just a guy who was very angry and his skin turned green as a result, similar to the Hulk.
The following September, MOD was also contacted after the Coastguard received reports of a round, alien spacecraft flying over Canterbury – but CCTV showed there was nothing but another helicopter flying over the city skies.
Coastguard spokesman Michael Granger said the Coastguard is getting sick of all these calls.
He said: “Every weekend we have an uncountable amount of phone calls that there are UFOs over the skies of Kent. It's not funny and we are getting sick of it to be frank. Why do people think UFO sightings are our problem? We are the Coastguard, not the fricken UFO Spotters.”
The calls were among 13 cases where the Coastguard took no further action, but twice patrols were sent to search for LGM or their spacecrafts.
In 2010 the Coastguard went to look for one in Dartford, but when they checked local CCTV cameras, they saw nothing but a drunk and/or high person on the phone describing a spaceship but was actually staring at a helicopter that was in the sky.
In June last year a suspected alien was spotted in the Folkestone area, prompting Dover Coastguard to get in touch with the MOD (Ministry of Defense) in case of an attack, it turned out their suspicions were wrong, it was just a guy who was very angry and his skin turned green as a result, similar to the Hulk.
The following September, MOD was also contacted after the Coastguard received reports of a round, alien spacecraft flying over Canterbury – but CCTV showed there was nothing but another helicopter flying over the city skies.
Coastguard spokesman Michael Granger said the Coastguard is getting sick of all these calls.
He said: “Every weekend we have an uncountable amount of phone calls that there are UFOs over the skies of Kent. It's not funny and we are getting sick of it to be frank. Why do people think UFO sightings are our problem? We are the Coastguard, not the fricken UFO Spotters.”
"99.97% of these calls are from people who sound like they are either drunk or high, it just proves that Kent is going down the pan. It seems like half of the county's population belong in a loony bin."
The number of annual sightings has remained constant since 2008.
UFO expert and blogger George Graham, who has had witnesses referred to him from the Coastguard, says there is evidence in Kent dating back hundreds of years.
He believes the only explanation is that there is in fact no explanation at all, since UFOs have neither been proved or disproved.
He added: “Kent seems to be the UK's Roswell. I urge anyone who sees a UFO to contact the Coastguard immediately."
The number of annual sightings has remained constant since 2008.
UFO expert and blogger George Graham, who has had witnesses referred to him from the Coastguard, says there is evidence in Kent dating back hundreds of years.
He believes the only explanation is that there is in fact no explanation at all, since UFOs have neither been proved or disproved.
He added: “Kent seems to be the UK's Roswell. I urge anyone who sees a UFO to contact the Coastguard immediately."
Wednesday 16 October 2013
Murderer Kevin Williams walks out of prison in Eastchurch on Sheppey, Kent
A convicted murderer walked out of an open prison by "asking the prison guards nicely to open the gate" and went to stay with a friend, a court heard.
Police tracked down Kevin Williams at flats in Sheerness and instead of going back to Standford Hill Category D Prison in Eastchurch, he has been transferred to secure Category B/C Elmley Prison nearby with guards who are more strict and who won't open the gate just because "he asks nicely."
Maidstone Crown Court heard the 43-year-old - jailed for life at the Old Bailey in London in February 1997 - failed to attend a roll call at Standford Hill on Tuesday, September 17.
When arrested three days later, he claimed he absconded because he was sick of the decor in his cell and he had asked the prison manager to change it but he had refused telling him "this is not a hotel." He said he intended to return after he went to B&Q to get some Dulux paint to redecorate his cell.
Judge Charles Byers heard Williams, of Maidstone, Kent, was cooperative and not a danger to the public.
Passing a concurrent sentence of 12 months for escape, the judge told him in a TV link with Elmley: "I appreciate you have pleaded guilty and you have been sensible. The worst punishment you will receive really is it may affect your release date, which is stupid.
"Since it is in my best judgement that you seem like a nice guy I have spoken with the manager of the new prison I am sending you to and he is going to decorate your cell just how you want it, in fact I just got off the phone with him and he wants you to go to B&Q with him this Friday to choose the paint.
The Judge continued: "Oh and don't worry about the bill for the paint, the taxpayer will take care of that!"
Police tracked down Kevin Williams at flats in Sheerness and instead of going back to Standford Hill Category D Prison in Eastchurch, he has been transferred to secure Category B/C Elmley Prison nearby with guards who are more strict and who won't open the gate just because "he asks nicely."
Maidstone Crown Court heard the 43-year-old - jailed for life at the Old Bailey in London in February 1997 - failed to attend a roll call at Standford Hill on Tuesday, September 17.
When arrested three days later, he claimed he absconded because he was sick of the decor in his cell and he had asked the prison manager to change it but he had refused telling him "this is not a hotel." He said he intended to return after he went to B&Q to get some Dulux paint to redecorate his cell.
Judge Charles Byers heard Williams, of Maidstone, Kent, was cooperative and not a danger to the public.
Passing a concurrent sentence of 12 months for escape, the judge told him in a TV link with Elmley: "I appreciate you have pleaded guilty and you have been sensible. The worst punishment you will receive really is it may affect your release date, which is stupid.
"Since it is in my best judgement that you seem like a nice guy I have spoken with the manager of the new prison I am sending you to and he is going to decorate your cell just how you want it, in fact I just got off the phone with him and he wants you to go to B&Q with him this Friday to choose the paint.
The Judge continued: "Oh and don't worry about the bill for the paint, the taxpayer will take care of that!"
Saturday 12 October 2013
Two police officers full after eating too many doughnuts in Tunbridge Wells
Two police officers were reportedly 'very full' in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday lunchtime after eating loads of doughnuts.
They had been on patrol in Monson Road, near Prezzo restaurant. Unconfirmed witness reports suggested the police officers had eaten over fifty doughnuts each, other reports said it was more than one hundred.
The two officers had eaten so many doughnuts that they became very full. Doughnuts are a popular processed food article among police officers.
Both have fully recovered and it is expected they will be purchasing more doughnuts soon.
They had been on patrol in Monson Road, near Prezzo restaurant. Unconfirmed witness reports suggested the police officers had eaten over fifty doughnuts each, other reports said it was more than one hundred.
The two officers had eaten so many doughnuts that they became very full. Doughnuts are a popular processed food article among police officers.
Both have fully recovered and it is expected they will be purchasing more doughnuts soon.
Monday 7 October 2013
Drunken man pulled out water pistol before chasing victim after dispute over packet of crisps
A frightened crime victim ran into traffic to escape an "alcoholic" man wielding a water pistol following a dispute over the sale of a packet of crisps, a court heard.
Drunken Stephen Fletcher sat next to the man on a bus, acted in a way that worried him then followed him shouting: “Oi. Oi.”
He caught up with the victim and swung a punch at his face, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.
The victim avoided the blow and pushed Fletcher away, then saw him take an AK47 Super Soaker from his backpack.
Prosecutor David Crook said Fletcher brandished the water pistol on August 15 and threatened to spray his victim with water.
The victim was so concerned he ran into traffic to get away and sought refuge in a shop.
Fletcher, 52, followed and lingered outside the shop, and was aggressive to concerned teenagers.
He told a 14-year-old boy “I’ll spray you too” before police arrived and arrested him as well as confiscating the water pistol.
He and the victim had contact before “due to a transaction about a packet of crisps which the victim was going to buy”, said Mr Crook.
Fletcher, of Falston Close, Billingham, admitted possession of an offensive weapon on High Grange Avenue, Billingham and threatening behaviour.
He was in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed in March for possessing an inflatable children's hammer, where he threatened to hit another man with it during an argument in Stockton.
He had a 32-year criminal record but had only been jailed once in 1986, for two months, said his barrister Paul Wishlade.
Mr Wishlade said: “He is unfortunately an alcoholic. It’s a little difficult really to know where to start.
“He had been drinking that day because that is a daily occurrence.
“I’ve seen him many, many times in a state where he has no idea what he’s doing, what day it is or anything.
“He is to be pitied rather than anything else. He doesn’t appear to be capable of giving up alcohol. His liver is on its last legs.”
The judge, Recorder Michael Camp, said prison would at least give Fletcher some time without alcohol.
He said a report showed Fletcher didn’t understand the serious, frightening and inconvenient nature of his behaviour.
Fletcher was jailed for eight months for the latest offences, plus 26 weeks for breaching the suspended sentence.
Drunken Stephen Fletcher sat next to the man on a bus, acted in a way that worried him then followed him shouting: “Oi. Oi.”
He caught up with the victim and swung a punch at his face, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.
The victim avoided the blow and pushed Fletcher away, then saw him take an AK47 Super Soaker from his backpack.
Prosecutor David Crook said Fletcher brandished the water pistol on August 15 and threatened to spray his victim with water.
The victim was so concerned he ran into traffic to get away and sought refuge in a shop.
Fletcher, 52, followed and lingered outside the shop, and was aggressive to concerned teenagers.
He told a 14-year-old boy “I’ll spray you too” before police arrived and arrested him as well as confiscating the water pistol.
He and the victim had contact before “due to a transaction about a packet of crisps which the victim was going to buy”, said Mr Crook.
Fletcher, of Falston Close, Billingham, admitted possession of an offensive weapon on High Grange Avenue, Billingham and threatening behaviour.
He was in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed in March for possessing an inflatable children's hammer, where he threatened to hit another man with it during an argument in Stockton.
He had a 32-year criminal record but had only been jailed once in 1986, for two months, said his barrister Paul Wishlade.
Mr Wishlade said: “He is unfortunately an alcoholic. It’s a little difficult really to know where to start.
“He had been drinking that day because that is a daily occurrence.
“I’ve seen him many, many times in a state where he has no idea what he’s doing, what day it is or anything.
“He is to be pitied rather than anything else. He doesn’t appear to be capable of giving up alcohol. His liver is on its last legs.”
The judge, Recorder Michael Camp, said prison would at least give Fletcher some time without alcohol.
He said a report showed Fletcher didn’t understand the serious, frightening and inconvenient nature of his behaviour.
Fletcher was jailed for eight months for the latest offences, plus 26 weeks for breaching the suspended sentence.
Saturday 5 October 2013
David Walker almost scared to death in High Halden after vandals draw a scary face on the meter box
High Halden, Kent
David Walker went to check his electricity reading without realizing the horror that awaited him on the other side of the box's panel - a piece of graffiti resembling a scary face with sharp pointy teeth (pictured below).
Mr Walker reckons the graffiti had been drawn by youths who were probably bored.
Mr Walker, 36, who has an enlarged heart that only works at 14% capacity, said the discovery shocked him so much that he still can't get over it. The face had been drawn on the door on the inside of the meter box in the hallway at The Chennels, High Halden.
And as if that's not bad enough, he says when he called Ashford Borough Council (ABC) out-of-hours line to report the problem, he was told to just paint over it.
“I was disgusted by the man’s attitude,” said Mr Walker, who has lived at the ABC flats for three years.
“I am lucky to be alive after coming face to face with that... thing. It really put my heart out of kilter and I still felt strange a day or so afterwards. I still have nightmares now about that face. On top of that the local council told me to just 'paint over it'. This is an evil, disgusting face that nearly killed me, if I had even attempted the suicidal task of painting over it it might have jumped out, materialized and attacked me.”
Mr Walker said it was probably teenage youths because "An adult would not receive gratification from drawing graffiti."
He receives benefits as he cannot work due to his heart condition, and went to check his meter reading at 1.10am on Friday, September 20, as his payments went into his account at midnight.
He said: “I was going to pay my electricity bill online.
“I opened the meter cupboard and that face was staring right at me. It had sharp teeth and it was red. I was scared to death.
“I quickly closed the meter box door and locked it. After getting nowhere with the council on the phone I went straight onto their website and reported the problem directly to the grafitti department.”
Mr Walker called the Ashford Borough Council out-of-hours line and said he was told by a worker there was nothing he could do, and to paint over it with Dulux so that it wouldn't scare other residents.
He then decided to go onto www.ashford.gov.uk/graffiti and demand that they remove the face before it materializes out of the meter box and kills everyone.
Mr Walker said: “As it turns out the graffiti department did listen to me and sent someone out straight away to remove the face, despite the fact it was the early hours of Friday morning they deemed that it was a 'threat to the residents' and they had to get rid of it straight away.
“Two workers from Ashford Borough Council came and painted over the face, wiping it from existence and sending it straight to hell.”
Ashford council said it is investigating the incident.
A council spokesman said: “There was an incident reported at The Chennels on High Halden that a face was lurking inside the meter box, placed there as a result of anti-social behaviour.
“Two workers from the graffiti department were called out at about 1:40am in the early hours of Friday 20th September 2013. They attended the property in The Chennels, High Halden and carried out essential work to remove the scary face.”
Wednesday 2 October 2013
Man sent threats and abuse to Santa Clause for not receiving the Xmas present he wanted
A MAN has admitted sending offensive and threatening letters to Santa Clause in the North Pole because he didn't get the present he wanted for Christmas.
Darren Colney, 38, of New Town Road, Bishops Stortford, admitted pursuing a course of conduct amounting to harassment from January 15 to February 1.
Darren Colney, 38, of New Town Road, Bishops Stortford, admitted pursuing a course of conduct amounting to harassment from January 15 to February 1.
Colney's defense attorney Richard Jones told Hertford Magistrates Court that he made the threats to Mr Clause because he did not receive the Christmas present that he had asked for. "Mr Colney had written to Mr Clause earlier in 2012 and asked for a Ferrari for Christmas. On the morning of December 25th 2012 he woke up but found no Ferrari."
"Mr Colney was very angry and upset and after New Year he wrote a series of threatening and insulting letters to Mr Clause. He understands now that he acted in a very childish manner and is now remorseful and feels shame over his behaviour."
Hertford Magistrates Court imposed a community order, with a mental health treatment requirement.
He will get help from a doctor at an offender personality disorder clinic as a non-resident patient for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to Mr Clause as well as a £15 victim surcharge.
A restraining order prohibits him from contacting Mr Clause or travelling to the North Pole.
He will get help from a doctor at an offender personality disorder clinic as a non-resident patient for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to Mr Clause as well as a £15 victim surcharge.
A restraining order prohibits him from contacting Mr Clause or travelling to the North Pole.
This site attempted to contact Mr Santa Clause to get his views on the threatening literature he received, but he could not be reached for comment.
Saturday 28 September 2013
Mum woke up to a wheelie bin fire, more concerned about the bin than her own life
A MUM has spoken of her sadness after waking up at 3.20am on September 28, to her wheelie bin on fire outside the front window.
Emily Payne, of Sandon Street, New Basford, Nottingham said she had been asleep downstairs when she was awoken to a bright orange light behind her curtain.
Ms Payne, 33, said she went to look behind the curtain, and to her horror found her wheelie bin had been set on fire.
She said: "I phoned the fire brigade and begged them to rush round and save my bin.
"I had such upset ripped through me. I was shaking and talking so fast on the phone to the fire brigade. The children were just as upset as I was to see our beloved bin on fire. I wasn't concerned for my life or my children's lives. The bin was my main and top priority.
"The fire officer said the fire was minutes from entering the house, not that we are concerned about that, our main priority was the welfare of the bin."
The fire, which Emily thinks started in the bin before extending to the wooden bed frame outside, said it has damaged her home.
She added: "Inside the house has a little bit of black at the top of the window frame, but I don't even care about that, I've had that bin since I moved in and I am sad that it has been destroyed."
Police have confirmed they are treating the incident as arson.
If you have any information regarding this incident call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Payne, of Sandon Street, New Basford, Nottingham said she had been asleep downstairs when she was awoken to a bright orange light behind her curtain.
Ms Payne, 33, said she went to look behind the curtain, and to her horror found her wheelie bin had been set on fire.
She said: "I phoned the fire brigade and begged them to rush round and save my bin.
"I had such upset ripped through me. I was shaking and talking so fast on the phone to the fire brigade. The children were just as upset as I was to see our beloved bin on fire. I wasn't concerned for my life or my children's lives. The bin was my main and top priority.
"The fire officer said the fire was minutes from entering the house, not that we are concerned about that, our main priority was the welfare of the bin."
The fire, which Emily thinks started in the bin before extending to the wooden bed frame outside, said it has damaged her home.
She added: "Inside the house has a little bit of black at the top of the window frame, but I don't even care about that, I've had that bin since I moved in and I am sad that it has been destroyed."
Police have confirmed they are treating the incident as arson.
If you have any information regarding this incident call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Wednesday 25 September 2013
'Model pupil' turned in by mother after refusing to finish his tea
A “model pupil” was handed over to police by his mother after he refused to finish the food that had been cooked for him.
The 15-year-old thought he was being clever when he told his mother he did not want to eat the rest of his tea at his home in Liverpool, a court heard.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was told by his mother that he will eat all of his food or she would take him to the police station to have him arrested, on Friday afternoon, Liverpool Youth Court was told.
The 15-year-old thought he was being clever when he told his mother he did not want to eat the rest of his tea at his home in Liverpool, a court heard.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was told by his mother that he will eat all of his food or she would take him to the police station to have him arrested, on Friday afternoon, Liverpool Youth Court was told.
After he continuously refused to finish his food, complaining that he was "too full", he was sent to his bedroom with all of his luxuries confiscated.
Ten minutes later he was given another chance to eat his tea but still he refused to comply, so he was turned over to the police by his mother.
Under the Food Wasting Act 2013 it is now a criminal offense for anyone under 18 to not eat all of their meals, including breakfast, lunch, tea, supper and any basic snack. The boy is believed to be the first in the UK to have committed this crime.
The boy's mother wept at the back of the court as her son, wearing a black suit, white shirt and tie, was brought into the dock.
He entered guilty pleas after confirming his name, age and address.
Sending the case to Liverpool Crown Court for sentence, District Judge Ian Lomax said: "This is a very serious matter. There are people in parts of Africa who are starving to death whom would be disgusted at you for carrying out this crime.
“It's a bizarre, surreal case of a young man acting like a four year old. Nevertheless this is so serious that he will have to be punished by the crown court."
The boy was a "model pupil" at school and was not known for misbehaving, the court was told.
After his arrest he told police he did not want to finish his food because he was full from eating loads of chocolate an hour earlier, the court heard.
Mr Lomax said his crime was "motivated by a full stomach" but that it was his responsibility for filling it up so close to tea time.
Debra Chan, prosecuting, told the court that the crime was carried out in the kitchen of the boy's house at 4.25pm on Friday.
His mother had just cooked him a meal consisting of McCain fries and Birds Eye fish fingers along with a glass of Coca Cola.
She said he had eaten about just over half of the meal before telling his mother "I'm not hungry, I don't want anymore", before pushing the plate away from him.
The mother replied "But Sweetie, you have to finish your food, it's a legal requirement." before adding: "If you don't you could face serious consequences."
The boy still refused to eat the rest of his food and eventually his mother got fed up, sent him to his room and took away his luxuries including his laptop and Xbox 360 as well as grounding him for the entire weekend, Miss Chan said.
The boy's mother gave him one last chance to clear his plate and when he persistently refused, she took him down to the police station, the court heard.
He told police: "I didn't want to finish my food because I wasn't hungry, I ate too much chocolate on the way home from school."
The boy also told officers that he planned to put his food in the fridge for later so he wouldn't waste it, but he wasn't given that option.
Miss Chan said: "He did want to put his food in the fridge to eat at a later point, but his mother did not give him that option, it was either then or never."
The court heard that the boy was upset over losing his gadgets and being sent to bed early, especially on a Friday night, but it still did not convince him to eat his food "so his mother had no choice but to take him to the police."
Miss Chan said the mother did not really want to take him to the police because it would mean her son having a criminal record, but she was prepared to do it to "teach him a lesson". The boy apologised for what he had done.
The boy's mother wept at the back of the court as her son, wearing a black suit, white shirt and tie, was brought into the dock.
He entered guilty pleas after confirming his name, age and address.
Sending the case to Liverpool Crown Court for sentence, District Judge Ian Lomax said: "This is a very serious matter. There are people in parts of Africa who are starving to death whom would be disgusted at you for carrying out this crime.
“It's a bizarre, surreal case of a young man acting like a four year old. Nevertheless this is so serious that he will have to be punished by the crown court."
The boy was a "model pupil" at school and was not known for misbehaving, the court was told.
After his arrest he told police he did not want to finish his food because he was full from eating loads of chocolate an hour earlier, the court heard.
Mr Lomax said his crime was "motivated by a full stomach" but that it was his responsibility for filling it up so close to tea time.
Debra Chan, prosecuting, told the court that the crime was carried out in the kitchen of the boy's house at 4.25pm on Friday.
His mother had just cooked him a meal consisting of McCain fries and Birds Eye fish fingers along with a glass of Coca Cola.
She said he had eaten about just over half of the meal before telling his mother "I'm not hungry, I don't want anymore", before pushing the plate away from him.
The mother replied "But Sweetie, you have to finish your food, it's a legal requirement." before adding: "If you don't you could face serious consequences."
The boy still refused to eat the rest of his food and eventually his mother got fed up, sent him to his room and took away his luxuries including his laptop and Xbox 360 as well as grounding him for the entire weekend, Miss Chan said.
The boy's mother gave him one last chance to clear his plate and when he persistently refused, she took him down to the police station, the court heard.
He told police: "I didn't want to finish my food because I wasn't hungry, I ate too much chocolate on the way home from school."
The boy also told officers that he planned to put his food in the fridge for later so he wouldn't waste it, but he wasn't given that option.
Miss Chan said: "He did want to put his food in the fridge to eat at a later point, but his mother did not give him that option, it was either then or never."
The court heard that the boy was upset over losing his gadgets and being sent to bed early, especially on a Friday night, but it still did not convince him to eat his food "so his mother had no choice but to take him to the police."
Miss Chan said the mother did not really want to take him to the police because it would mean her son having a criminal record, but she was prepared to do it to "teach him a lesson". The boy apologised for what he had done.
Wednesday 11 September 2013
University student Hadley Floyd struck out at flatmate Viorel Ungur after last Magnum Infinity went missing
A student allegedly struck a housemate with a bat after opening his fridge-freezer and discovering his last Magnum Infinity ice cream bar had been eaten, a court heard.
Hadley Floyd repeatedly lashed out at Viorel Ungur and “trashed” his bedroom at the property they shared in Canterbury, Kent.
Maidstone Crown Court heard the 21-year-old lost his temper when he returned home from a university lecture at about 2pm on November 23 last year and discovered his last ice cream bar had been eaten by Mr Ungur and he had left the empty packet on top of the kitchen worktop.
It is alleged the Romanian national was subjected to several beatings and told he would be killed.
Prosecutor Tayo Adebayo said a neighbour later told police she could hear a man shouting: “You ate my last ice cream. You are a dead man. I am going to kill you.”
Mr Adebayo also told the jury the attack came to a brief halt at one stage but only out of Floyd's “sheer exhaustion” from hitting the Canterbury Christ Church University student.
He suffered cuts and bruises to his neck, chest, back, ribs, arms and a hand.
Floyd, now of Paddock Gardens, East Grinstead, denies assaulting Mr Ungur causing actual bodily harm.
The jury was told he has admitted two offences of damaging property, namely furniture in Mr Ungur’s room and his phone.
The two men were living with a third student in St Peter’s Grove at the time. All three did not have lectures that day, but Floyd did and attended his lecturers as normal.
Mr Ungur told the court Floyd was “very angry” when he discovered the empty Magnum packet. He was also angry at the fact that Mr Ungur did not dispose of the empty packet but more so at fact that the actual ice cream had been eaten.
Floyd confronted Mr Ungur on the upstairs landing after the discovery.
Mr Ungur said Floyd was screaming continuously, swearing and telling him to ‘shut up’ and even called him an "ice cream thief".
With the assistance of an interpreter he told how violence flared after he dodged a punch from Floyd.
It is alleged he then went into Mr Ungur's room armed with a bat and struck out two or three times.
“I managed to take the club from him and immobilize him,” explained Mr Floyd. “I threw the club on the floor. He took it and went to his room. He was mad, he was shouting that he would kill me.”
Mr Ungur continued: “After going to his room he returned immediately. He pinned me on the bed and hit me in the rib area, the shoulder and the hand area.”
Mr Ungur said he managed to take hold of the club and tried to escape. “He was trying to bite my neck, while telling me: ‘I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you’, because he didn't have anything else to hit me with. I held the club.”
Floyd left the room again and Mr Ungur locked the door. Floyd then started to kick at the door, breaking a wooden panel at the bottom to open it.
Mr Ungur, as well as his other housemate, eventually fled the property and waited outside for police to arrive.
During that time Floyd was said to have “trashed” Mr Ungur's room.
“He destroyed the whole room with the club,” added Mr Ungur. “He was swearing and passing racist comments at all times.”
Officers described Floyd as breathing heavily when they arrived. “He appeared agitated and his knuckles were grazed and bleeding on his right hand,” said Mr Adebayo.
When arrested he claimed he did it because Mr Ungur had eaten his last ice cream bar which he was saving to watch with that night's episode of Eastenders and by eating the bar Mr Ungur had "completely ruined his plans."
The prosecutor told the court Floyd admitted hitting Mr Ungur “a fair few times” and going into his room “in the heat of the moment”.
The trial continues.
Hadley Floyd repeatedly lashed out at Viorel Ungur and “trashed” his bedroom at the property they shared in Canterbury, Kent.
Maidstone Crown Court heard the 21-year-old lost his temper when he returned home from a university lecture at about 2pm on November 23 last year and discovered his last ice cream bar had been eaten by Mr Ungur and he had left the empty packet on top of the kitchen worktop.
It is alleged the Romanian national was subjected to several beatings and told he would be killed.
Prosecutor Tayo Adebayo said a neighbour later told police she could hear a man shouting: “You ate my last ice cream. You are a dead man. I am going to kill you.”
Mr Adebayo also told the jury the attack came to a brief halt at one stage but only out of Floyd's “sheer exhaustion” from hitting the Canterbury Christ Church University student.
He suffered cuts and bruises to his neck, chest, back, ribs, arms and a hand.
Floyd, now of Paddock Gardens, East Grinstead, denies assaulting Mr Ungur causing actual bodily harm.
The jury was told he has admitted two offences of damaging property, namely furniture in Mr Ungur’s room and his phone.
The two men were living with a third student in St Peter’s Grove at the time. All three did not have lectures that day, but Floyd did and attended his lecturers as normal.
Mr Ungur told the court Floyd was “very angry” when he discovered the empty Magnum packet. He was also angry at the fact that Mr Ungur did not dispose of the empty packet but more so at fact that the actual ice cream had been eaten.
Floyd confronted Mr Ungur on the upstairs landing after the discovery.
Mr Ungur said Floyd was screaming continuously, swearing and telling him to ‘shut up’ and even called him an "ice cream thief".
With the assistance of an interpreter he told how violence flared after he dodged a punch from Floyd.
It is alleged he then went into Mr Ungur's room armed with a bat and struck out two or three times.
“I managed to take the club from him and immobilize him,” explained Mr Floyd. “I threw the club on the floor. He took it and went to his room. He was mad, he was shouting that he would kill me.”
Mr Ungur continued: “After going to his room he returned immediately. He pinned me on the bed and hit me in the rib area, the shoulder and the hand area.”
Mr Ungur said he managed to take hold of the club and tried to escape. “He was trying to bite my neck, while telling me: ‘I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you’, because he didn't have anything else to hit me with. I held the club.”
Floyd left the room again and Mr Ungur locked the door. Floyd then started to kick at the door, breaking a wooden panel at the bottom to open it.
Mr Ungur, as well as his other housemate, eventually fled the property and waited outside for police to arrive.
During that time Floyd was said to have “trashed” Mr Ungur's room.
“He destroyed the whole room with the club,” added Mr Ungur. “He was swearing and passing racist comments at all times.”
Officers described Floyd as breathing heavily when they arrived. “He appeared agitated and his knuckles were grazed and bleeding on his right hand,” said Mr Adebayo.
When arrested he claimed he did it because Mr Ungur had eaten his last ice cream bar which he was saving to watch with that night's episode of Eastenders and by eating the bar Mr Ungur had "completely ruined his plans."
The prosecutor told the court Floyd admitted hitting Mr Ungur “a fair few times” and going into his room “in the heat of the moment”.
The trial continues.
Monday 9 September 2013
A man is probably going down for murder, and judge will probably convict!
A court in Sheffield will possibly be sending someone down for the best part of 20 years because they are not sure whether or not Steve Robson a man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire who admittedly looks a bit shifty, committed a fatal robbery that turned into a murder as the night progressed.
On the night of Friday 3rd May 2013, someone who was probably Robson entered the Spar on Broom Lane, Rotherham equipped with a large knife and demanded the cashier handed over money into a bag that Robson was carrying, with the dollar sign ($) on it.
When the cashier refused Robson stabbed the cashier who died a short time later when customers inside at the time alerted the emergency services.
Police were quoted as saying “He was probably there all right, this crime scene had all the hallmarks of one of his crimes, and the victim’s body really struck me as looking like a Robson attack to me, anyway, but what do I know? I’m not the judge and jury, I’m just the serving policeman here!”
Alastair McGamble the chief prosecutor said “I took one look at the scene, and I thought, perhaps this was the work of Robson, this case has all the evidence I need right now to suggest that maybe Robson was at the scene at the murder, and with that I thought perhaps we will get a conviction.”
Since the Hearsay Permitted Evidence Act of 2012, courts now only have to so much as suspect someone of wrongdoing before they get the chance to throw the book at them in both a legal and literal sense.
As the jury weren't too sure about the case but thought that on balance Robson probably did it anyway the judge saw fit to back them up by admitting that whilst he too wasn't any surer than they were on the balance of probability, he probably did it, he felt he had no choice but to recommend a full and most importantly very long custodial sentence of the highest order because there was, in his words “a strong reasonable doubt that he was innocent of this shocking crime, probably!”
Steve McBurrell Robson’s defense lawyer could only add “Have you lot not ever thought about the possibility that maybe he wasn't actually there all along, you don’t have any actual DNA for a start." However this ultimately failed to convince the jury or the judge otherwise.
The only evidence that was given in court was a receipt for a transaction carried out by Robson for the DVD purchase of the 2003 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When this evidence was given in court the jurors could be heard gasping and whispering "He's clearly guilty."
As a result Robson will probably face a very long time behind bars whilst he appeals to the High Court who might overturn his case if they feel like it and they think unlike the judge in Sheffield that he probably didn't do it actually!
The court was adjourned for sentencing until Friday 13th September 2013.
On the night of Friday 3rd May 2013, someone who was probably Robson entered the Spar on Broom Lane, Rotherham equipped with a large knife and demanded the cashier handed over money into a bag that Robson was carrying, with the dollar sign ($) on it.
When the cashier refused Robson stabbed the cashier who died a short time later when customers inside at the time alerted the emergency services.
Police were quoted as saying “He was probably there all right, this crime scene had all the hallmarks of one of his crimes, and the victim’s body really struck me as looking like a Robson attack to me, anyway, but what do I know? I’m not the judge and jury, I’m just the serving policeman here!”
Alastair McGamble the chief prosecutor said “I took one look at the scene, and I thought, perhaps this was the work of Robson, this case has all the evidence I need right now to suggest that maybe Robson was at the scene at the murder, and with that I thought perhaps we will get a conviction.”
Since the Hearsay Permitted Evidence Act of 2012, courts now only have to so much as suspect someone of wrongdoing before they get the chance to throw the book at them in both a legal and literal sense.
As the jury weren't too sure about the case but thought that on balance Robson probably did it anyway the judge saw fit to back them up by admitting that whilst he too wasn't any surer than they were on the balance of probability, he probably did it, he felt he had no choice but to recommend a full and most importantly very long custodial sentence of the highest order because there was, in his words “a strong reasonable doubt that he was innocent of this shocking crime, probably!”
Steve McBurrell Robson’s defense lawyer could only add “Have you lot not ever thought about the possibility that maybe he wasn't actually there all along, you don’t have any actual DNA for a start." However this ultimately failed to convince the jury or the judge otherwise.
The only evidence that was given in court was a receipt for a transaction carried out by Robson for the DVD purchase of the 2003 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When this evidence was given in court the jurors could be heard gasping and whispering "He's clearly guilty."
As a result Robson will probably face a very long time behind bars whilst he appeals to the High Court who might overturn his case if they feel like it and they think unlike the judge in Sheffield that he probably didn't do it actually!
The court was adjourned for sentencing until Friday 13th September 2013.
Friday 6 September 2013
Incidents across Norfolk - August 2013
The following incidents have been reported across the county of Norfolk over August 2013 and have been serious enough to be featured on this news site:
Michael Tate, 52 of Norwich was unable to remove the cap off a bottle of Coca Cola which he had just purchased from the Spar on Drayton Road. He went back to the shop and requested either a refund or that they exchange it for another bottle with a looser cap. A refund was not administered and they refused to exchange the bottle. Mr Tate has said he will never purchase anything from Spar again.
Gardenia Attaway, 40 of Thetford was vacuuming her house using a Dyson vacuum cleaner when the machine malfunctioned and failed to suck up any more dirt. As a result half of her floor was dirt-free while the other half was dirt-plagued. Miss Attaway contacted Dyson Customer Services who refused to administer a refund because she did not possess the receipt for the purchase of the vacuum cleaner. Miss Attaway is compiling an official complaint to President Barack Obama regarding this issue.
Michael Tate, 52 of Norwich was unable to remove the cap off a bottle of Coca Cola which he had just purchased from the Spar on Drayton Road. He went back to the shop and requested either a refund or that they exchange it for another bottle with a looser cap. A refund was not administered and they refused to exchange the bottle. Mr Tate has said he will never purchase anything from Spar again.
Christopher Paget, 32 of Great Yarmouth clogged the toilet in his house and required a plumber. He arranged for a local plumber from Great Yarmouth to attend on Friday 13th August at 9:00am. The plumber failed to arrive on time and attended at 9:01am. Mr Paget was so disgusted with the tardiness demonstrated by the plumber that he gave him a 2 star rating on Yell.com as well as complaining to the Daily Mail and the Great Yarmouth Mercury local newspaper.
Benny Eaton, 24 of King's Lynn is extremely angry at his neighbour, Spencer Thurstan after Thurstan lit a barbecue in his garden which caused smoke to blow over into Mr Eaton's garden ruining his laundry, which was drying on the washing line at the time. As a result Mr Eaton had to wash his laundry a second time and this caused him inconvenience as well as wasting more of his Daz washing powder. Mr Eaton is planning revenge by hiring a private detective to spy on his neighbour to find out his personal secrets and then Mr Eaton is planning to get one of his friends who is a DJ on local radio station KLFM to read them out on air. He is hoping this will run his neighbour out of Kings Lynn and out of Norfolk.
Tania MacCrumb, 31 of Cromer was unable to put together an office desk because the instructions were too complicated. She contacted the manufacturer for help but they requested that Ms MacCrumb pay an additional £50 surcharge for assistance. She refused to pay and requested a full refund but the manufacturer refused to administer one. As a result Ms MacCrumb disposed of the furniture by throwing it off Cromer pier but has been charged with littering by Norfolk Police. She is due to appear before Norwich Magistrates Court in two weeks.
Lola Griffin, 39 of Downham Market is irate with Morrisons in Downham Market after she purchased a packet of 12 sausage rolls but the packet only contained 11 and a half. Miss Griffin demanded a full refund on the product but because she could not produce proof that the packet only contained 11½ sausage rolls the refund was refused by Morrisons. Miss Griffin is planning to write a strongly worded letter to Morrisons head office in Bradford, West Yorkshire which may include words in red, bold and in upper case, as well as possible making use of the Angryblue font. She will also be writing to the Eastern Daily Press (EDP24) and raising her concerns about Morrisons' very poor customer service.
Southampton man's socks get wet while retrieving newspaper
The pleasure of wearing dry socks is a liberty that most of us across the world can enjoy and take full advantage of. However for one man in Southampton he found that he was not able to bask in the glory of wearing dry socks as his feet accidentally came into contact with liquid while he was wearing them.
Richard Fisher, 26 of Sandhurst Road, Southampton woke up one overcast Friday morning deciding he needed a fix of the local news before starting the day. As a result he decided he would exit the safety of his dry, warm house to retrieve his copy of the Daily Echo newspaper which had been left outside his house on the doorstep by the delivery boy, rather than putting it through his letterbox for unknown reasons.
Mr Fisher opened his front door and without looking stepped outside and ended up standing directly into a small puddle which had been left there by the rain storm from the previous night. The victim was so shocked by his failings to acknowledge the wet ground prior to stepping on it that he quickly grabbed his newspaper and ran back inside.
Unfortunately this act caused further inconvenience to Mr Fisher because he has carpeted floors and upon contact with his wet socks the result was a visible dark stain being left in the centre of the carpet. After the unfortunate events had took place Mr Fisher required a trip to the local supermarket, which is the Sainsbury's Local on Bedford Place, Southampton, just 0.3 miles away from his home.
This shopping trip was unplanned but required for two reasons - he needed a bottle of bleach to wash the soiled socks and a bottle of carpet shampoo to extract the stains that had been imprinted earlier in the day.
Richard Fisher issued a statement to us which said: "I had woken up and went to get my morning newspaper without realizing it had been raining the previous night. I stepped out onto the wet pavement and ended up bringing it back into my house.
"This caused me great inconvenience as I needed to go down to Sainsbury's Local to get bleach and carpet cleaner, then I had to wash my socks and the carpet. Because I was so occupied with these tasks I ended up missing Jeremy Kyle, which is even more disastrous because it's Friday, meaning I won't get to watch it again for three days."
However, Mr Fisher believes it is the fault of local media why this happened.
"It's just ridiculous, I am an average man and I do not deserve this! I blame local radio stations BBC Radio Solent and Wave 105 for not broadcasting a warning about Southampton's wet pavements. It is because of them why innocent residents all across the south coast are waking up, stepping out and getting their feet wet simply because they do not know it rained the previous night."
Richard believes his Friday as well as his life has been ruined.
"Every time I look at my carpet it reminds me of that nightmare Friday. There is still an imprint on the section of the floor from when I cleaned the stain. It is much lighter than the rest of the floor, and for that reason I am going to have to purchase a brand new carpet even before I can start to move on from this."
Richard Fisher, 26 of Sandhurst Road, Southampton woke up one overcast Friday morning deciding he needed a fix of the local news before starting the day. As a result he decided he would exit the safety of his dry, warm house to retrieve his copy of the Daily Echo newspaper which had been left outside his house on the doorstep by the delivery boy, rather than putting it through his letterbox for unknown reasons.
Mr Fisher opened his front door and without looking stepped outside and ended up standing directly into a small puddle which had been left there by the rain storm from the previous night. The victim was so shocked by his failings to acknowledge the wet ground prior to stepping on it that he quickly grabbed his newspaper and ran back inside.
Unfortunately this act caused further inconvenience to Mr Fisher because he has carpeted floors and upon contact with his wet socks the result was a visible dark stain being left in the centre of the carpet. After the unfortunate events had took place Mr Fisher required a trip to the local supermarket, which is the Sainsbury's Local on Bedford Place, Southampton, just 0.3 miles away from his home.
This shopping trip was unplanned but required for two reasons - he needed a bottle of bleach to wash the soiled socks and a bottle of carpet shampoo to extract the stains that had been imprinted earlier in the day.
Richard Fisher issued a statement to us which said: "I had woken up and went to get my morning newspaper without realizing it had been raining the previous night. I stepped out onto the wet pavement and ended up bringing it back into my house.
"This caused me great inconvenience as I needed to go down to Sainsbury's Local to get bleach and carpet cleaner, then I had to wash my socks and the carpet. Because I was so occupied with these tasks I ended up missing Jeremy Kyle, which is even more disastrous because it's Friday, meaning I won't get to watch it again for three days."
However, Mr Fisher believes it is the fault of local media why this happened.
"It's just ridiculous, I am an average man and I do not deserve this! I blame local radio stations BBC Radio Solent and Wave 105 for not broadcasting a warning about Southampton's wet pavements. It is because of them why innocent residents all across the south coast are waking up, stepping out and getting their feet wet simply because they do not know it rained the previous night."
Richard believes his Friday as well as his life has been ruined.
"Every time I look at my carpet it reminds me of that nightmare Friday. There is still an imprint on the section of the floor from when I cleaned the stain. It is much lighter than the rest of the floor, and for that reason I am going to have to purchase a brand new carpet even before I can start to move on from this."
Wednesday 4 September 2013
Ipswich family fined after child constructs sandcastle in France without planning permission
The Smith family from Ipswich, Suffolk have been fined 10,000 euros while on holiday in Frejus, in the Var department, south east France, after their 2 year old son illegally constructed a sandcastle on the beach.
David Smith was fined 10,000 euros by the French civil service after his 2 year old son, Daniel constructed a sandcastle on the beach in Frejus, without applying for planning permission prior to the castle being built.
On 11th July 2013, when the castle was built, 2 year old Daniel was approached by French police who asked to see his application and planning permits for the castle. When they could not be produced the police proceeded to destroy the castle and fine the father, David, 10,000 euros for illegal placement of an unplanned structure.
David Smith was fined 10,000 euros by the French civil service after his 2 year old son, Daniel constructed a sandcastle on the beach in Frejus, without applying for planning permission prior to the castle being built.
On 11th July 2013, when the castle was built, 2 year old Daniel was approached by French police who asked to see his application and planning permits for the castle. When they could not be produced the police proceeded to destroy the castle and fine the father, David, 10,000 euros for illegal placement of an unplanned structure.
It is reported that the illegal structure had been constructed using a bucket and spade which were confiscated by police.
David Smith said "I was laying on the beach with my wife while our son was building a sandcastle, about two minutes after he completed it the police came over and asked to see proof that we had permission to construct the castle in that location.
David Smith said "I was laying on the beach with my wife while our son was building a sandcastle, about two minutes after he completed it the police came over and asked to see proof that we had permission to construct the castle in that location.
"We had no idea that we needed planning permission for such a thing and when we failed to produce the required documents the police started destroying the sandcastle using their batons. I was very angry because it upset my son who burst into tears immediately.
"I was angered even further when they fined me €10,000 and confiscated the bucket and spade, which cost me €3.50."
Anybody who wishes to construct a sandcastle on any French beach must apply for planning permission. Application documents can be downloaded from www.service-public.fr. For sandcastles the developer must apply for the "Category H - Temporary Beach Structure" permit and submit it to the Department Management. Application fees of €500 must also be paid.
The Department Management of the Land and Sea in the Var remarked that sandcastles across the department that have not been given the all clear will continue to be located and destroyed with more fines being handed out to the developer or parent/guardian of the developer.
Anybody who wishes to construct a sandcastle on any French beach must apply for planning permission. Application documents can be downloaded from www.service-public.fr. For sandcastles the developer must apply for the "Category H - Temporary Beach Structure" permit and submit it to the Department Management. Application fees of €500 must also be paid.
The Department Management of the Land and Sea in the Var remarked that sandcastles across the department that have not been given the all clear will continue to be located and destroyed with more fines being handed out to the developer or parent/guardian of the developer.
Leave baggage woes at the train station
Instead of carrying your belongings around Monaco, traipsing from the Palais Princier to the Place du Casino, why not just leave them in the unsecure care of the Principality? Monaco’s train station is opening a left luggage service, making it much easier to tour the Principality and tackle its many stairs whilst still worrying about who might be trying to break into and even steal your suitcases and heavy bags.
From Friday 9th August until Saturday 26th October, tourists will be able to drop their bags and luggage at Monaco’s central train station for 6 euros a day. The bags will then be "looked after" by train station staff, most of whom are ex criminals who have had run ins with the law, mainly for theft.
Open everyday from 10am until 6.30 pm, the new service is set to improve the comfort of the many tourists flocking to the Principality during the summer season, however there is no guarantee that their suitcase or its contents will still be there when the owner comes to collect them.
To ensure minimum security the bags will be stored in cheap lockers that do not actually lock. This will ensure ex-con train station staff and members of the public can freely open these lockers and help themselves to whatever is in there.
Also, as bags are left in an unattended and generally unsecure area, there is always the possibility that the over zealous security staff will mistake your property for a bomb, particularly if there is a heavy or hard object shape within the bag.
Should this happen bomb experts from the nearby cities of Nice and Genova will be called in to carry out a controlled explosion on that bag. The train station have said that they do not plan to provide any form of compensation in the event that this occurs, because it would be both expensive and annoying for them to administer. As a result the bag's owner will be charged 200 euros for the explosion to be carried out.
Officials have called the drop off service an "experiment", but it is hoped that if it proves successful, the operation will be rolled out year round.
From Friday 9th August until Saturday 26th October, tourists will be able to drop their bags and luggage at Monaco’s central train station for 6 euros a day. The bags will then be "looked after" by train station staff, most of whom are ex criminals who have had run ins with the law, mainly for theft.
Open everyday from 10am until 6.30 pm, the new service is set to improve the comfort of the many tourists flocking to the Principality during the summer season, however there is no guarantee that their suitcase or its contents will still be there when the owner comes to collect them.
To ensure minimum security the bags will be stored in cheap lockers that do not actually lock. This will ensure ex-con train station staff and members of the public can freely open these lockers and help themselves to whatever is in there.
Also, as bags are left in an unattended and generally unsecure area, there is always the possibility that the over zealous security staff will mistake your property for a bomb, particularly if there is a heavy or hard object shape within the bag.
Should this happen bomb experts from the nearby cities of Nice and Genova will be called in to carry out a controlled explosion on that bag. The train station have said that they do not plan to provide any form of compensation in the event that this occurs, because it would be both expensive and annoying for them to administer. As a result the bag's owner will be charged 200 euros for the explosion to be carried out.
Officials have called the drop off service an "experiment", but it is hoped that if it proves successful, the operation will be rolled out year round.
Friday 23 August 2013
Vancouver man gets 3 years in jail for taking candy from a baby
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver's André Bisset didn’t look back to say goodbye to his father or other family members Thursday after being sentenced to three years in jail.
The 32-year-old was convicted of theft, upsetting a child under 12 and causing a public disturbance.
He had served 11 days of pre-sentence custody and was given a three-year consecutive sentence.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged Bisset last April after a mother from Abbotsford called 911.
She told police that Bisset had stolen a lollipop that her 2 year old son was eating at the time.
It was reported that the mother was in one of the McDonalds franchises in Abbotsford and was ordering a big mac with fries and a chocolate milkshake as well as a happy meal when Bisset walked up to her son and stole his lollipop, Vancouver Criminal Court heard.
The child was so distraught by the theft of his candy he began screaming incredibly loud, so much that it caused discomfort for other diners in the restaurant including giving some of them headaches, except for one guy who had an iPod and was completely oblivious to what was going on.
The mother called 911 to report the theft and the police turned up 5 minutes later and interviewed the mother and other restaurant diners, except for the guy with the iPod, he didn't see anything so could provide no useful information to police.
The RCMP looked at the restaurant's CCTV footage and used that to identify André Bisset from Vancouver. He was later arrested.
A victim impact statement was read out in court from the mother, she said she was very pissed off because the lollipop was expensive.
She said her son's childhood memory of the lollipop had been ruined.
During a search of his Vancouver home, police found a book titled "Taking Candy From a Baby - The Basics."
Vancouver's André Bisset didn’t look back to say goodbye to his father or other family members Thursday after being sentenced to three years in jail.
The 32-year-old was convicted of theft, upsetting a child under 12 and causing a public disturbance.
He had served 11 days of pre-sentence custody and was given a three-year consecutive sentence.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged Bisset last April after a mother from Abbotsford called 911.
She told police that Bisset had stolen a lollipop that her 2 year old son was eating at the time.
It was reported that the mother was in one of the McDonalds franchises in Abbotsford and was ordering a big mac with fries and a chocolate milkshake as well as a happy meal when Bisset walked up to her son and stole his lollipop, Vancouver Criminal Court heard.
The child was so distraught by the theft of his candy he began screaming incredibly loud, so much that it caused discomfort for other diners in the restaurant including giving some of them headaches, except for one guy who had an iPod and was completely oblivious to what was going on.
The mother called 911 to report the theft and the police turned up 5 minutes later and interviewed the mother and other restaurant diners, except for the guy with the iPod, he didn't see anything so could provide no useful information to police.
The RCMP looked at the restaurant's CCTV footage and used that to identify André Bisset from Vancouver. He was later arrested.
A victim impact statement was read out in court from the mother, she said she was very pissed off because the lollipop was expensive.
She said her son's childhood memory of the lollipop had been ruined.
During a search of his Vancouver home, police found a book titled "Taking Candy From a Baby - The Basics."
Ranjeet Kunkel, defending said that he had a very good reason for taking the candy.
"Bisset took the candy from the child because he thought it would spoil his lunch.” Mr Kunkel said.
"The child was eating the lollipop before his happy meal and he was worried it (the lolly) would fill him up."
However, the prosecutor, Shimshon Olesen, told the court that the child was simply licking the lollipop and not swallowing any of it, therefore it would not have decreased his appetite in any way.
Judge Bronte Havel sentenced Bisset to 3 years imprisonment.
"Bisset took the candy from the child because he thought it would spoil his lunch.” Mr Kunkel said.
"The child was eating the lollipop before his happy meal and he was worried it (the lolly) would fill him up."
However, the prosecutor, Shimshon Olesen, told the court that the child was simply licking the lollipop and not swallowing any of it, therefore it would not have decreased his appetite in any way.
Judge Bronte Havel sentenced Bisset to 3 years imprisonment.
Wednesday 21 August 2013
Joey Smith from Maidstone left chocolate bar unrecognizable after not eating it quickly enough on a hot day
A former council worker who did not eat a chocolate bar quickly enough on a very hot day, leaving it completely melted, has been jailed for 11 years.
Under the extended sentence for chocolate product protection, Joey Smith will have to serve two-thirds of the term before his release is considered and he will be on licence for a further four years.
A judge told the 46-year-old Maidstone council worker the chocolate bar, which he did not eat quickly enough, was wasted. Due to food shortages in the UK wasting food is an extremely serious crime.
It was so badly melted that it did not even look like a chocolate bar anymore, it just looked like dog stool according to one witness who did not want to be named.
The Cadburys Dairy Milk bar had melted in July when temperatures in Kent reached over 28°C. Once Smith had discovered this he discarded the bar on the street which was spotted by members of the public including small children who were mentally scarred by the mess.
Police officers were called to Tovil Road, Maidstone where they found the bar melted on the ground and the packet lying nearby.
The bar had melted so much most of it had turned to liquid and was drying into the asphalt, Maidstone Crown Court heard.
Smith, of Holborough Road, Snodland, submitted a guilty plea to causing suffering to a chocolate bar, wasting a food product or article and littering. All three were accepted. He also admitted breaching a chocolate product restraining order.
Prosecutor Martin Yale said the former council worker was a chocolate lover and was "obsessed with chocolate in the way that 14 year old girls are obsessed with Justin Bieber."
"He had his bedroom covered with posters of Malteasers, Terry's Chocolate Orange and Dairy Milk," he said. "The bottom right hand drawer of the fridge inside his Snodland home was filled with just chocolate."
In February last year, he was cautioned for eating chocolate too quickly and not savouring the flavour.
Six months later he came under fire again, this time for throwing a chocolate bar too aggressively into his fridge in anger after he had an argument with his girlfriend over expensive telephone bills from him calling sex lines. For this offence he was given a suspended prison sentence for assault of a food product or article.
A chocolate product restraining order was imposed, to remain in force until December 2012.
In July 2013 he was out in Maidstone and decided to purchase a chocolate bar, it was a hot day and temperatures reached 29°C. Once in possession of the chocolate bar he started to eat it slowly and due to the hot weather, the chocolate bar unfortunately melted.
At that point he decided to commit a further offence of littering by discarding the bar onto the street which caused members of the public to witness the melted chocolate bar.
Judge Kevin Young told Smith: "You caused horrific and life-changing mental scars to young children who had not seen a melted chocolate bar before. Children love chocolate bars in the same way men love masturbation, therefore to see a melted chocolate bar would understandably cause them stress."
Philip Sinclair, defending, said it was clearly an extremely unpleasant, accidental mishap on a vulnerable chocolate bar.
Smith was deeply ashamed of himself being a chocolate lover himself and did not want any mitigation about the circumstances put forward, he said.
Mr Sinclair added: "He is aware he will be sent into prison for a considerable time in view of his appalling behaviour. He knows next time to eat chocolate more quickly or avoid it completely in hot weather."
Under the extended sentence for chocolate product protection, Joey Smith will have to serve two-thirds of the term before his release is considered and he will be on licence for a further four years.
A judge told the 46-year-old Maidstone council worker the chocolate bar, which he did not eat quickly enough, was wasted. Due to food shortages in the UK wasting food is an extremely serious crime.
It was so badly melted that it did not even look like a chocolate bar anymore, it just looked like dog stool according to one witness who did not want to be named.
The Cadburys Dairy Milk bar had melted in July when temperatures in Kent reached over 28°C. Once Smith had discovered this he discarded the bar on the street which was spotted by members of the public including small children who were mentally scarred by the mess.
Police officers were called to Tovil Road, Maidstone where they found the bar melted on the ground and the packet lying nearby.
The bar had melted so much most of it had turned to liquid and was drying into the asphalt, Maidstone Crown Court heard.
Smith, of Holborough Road, Snodland, submitted a guilty plea to causing suffering to a chocolate bar, wasting a food product or article and littering. All three were accepted. He also admitted breaching a chocolate product restraining order.
Prosecutor Martin Yale said the former council worker was a chocolate lover and was "obsessed with chocolate in the way that 14 year old girls are obsessed with Justin Bieber."
"He had his bedroom covered with posters of Malteasers, Terry's Chocolate Orange and Dairy Milk," he said. "The bottom right hand drawer of the fridge inside his Snodland home was filled with just chocolate."
In February last year, he was cautioned for eating chocolate too quickly and not savouring the flavour.
Six months later he came under fire again, this time for throwing a chocolate bar too aggressively into his fridge in anger after he had an argument with his girlfriend over expensive telephone bills from him calling sex lines. For this offence he was given a suspended prison sentence for assault of a food product or article.
A chocolate product restraining order was imposed, to remain in force until December 2012.
In July 2013 he was out in Maidstone and decided to purchase a chocolate bar, it was a hot day and temperatures reached 29°C. Once in possession of the chocolate bar he started to eat it slowly and due to the hot weather, the chocolate bar unfortunately melted.
At that point he decided to commit a further offence of littering by discarding the bar onto the street which caused members of the public to witness the melted chocolate bar.
Judge Kevin Young told Smith: "You caused horrific and life-changing mental scars to young children who had not seen a melted chocolate bar before. Children love chocolate bars in the same way men love masturbation, therefore to see a melted chocolate bar would understandably cause them stress."
Philip Sinclair, defending, said it was clearly an extremely unpleasant, accidental mishap on a vulnerable chocolate bar.
Smith was deeply ashamed of himself being a chocolate lover himself and did not want any mitigation about the circumstances put forward, he said.
Mr Sinclair added: "He is aware he will be sent into prison for a considerable time in view of his appalling behaviour. He knows next time to eat chocolate more quickly or avoid it completely in hot weather."
Thursday 8 August 2013
New UK restaurant surcharges coming into effect
The Restaurant Group PLC are a company which own various popular restaurant chains across the United Kingdom including Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito, Garfunkel's, Filling Station, Home Counties Pub Restaurant and Brunning & Price.
Since the theft of cutlery has been increasing in restaurants recently, the use of stated utensils will now come at a price, and not a cheap one at that! The use of cutlery will cost the diner greatly and the cost will be included in the final bill at the end of the meal under the new "utensils & cutlery" charge. However it is not mandatory for restaurant customers to use cutlery as The Restaurant Group have stated customers are free to use their hands to eat their food.
Ketchup - Basic Store Brand (£30 per litre), Heinz (£80 per litre)
For those who prefer to eat their meal with ketchup this will be possible but will also cost. Customers will have the choice of eating with high quality Heinz ketchup for a higher charge or if they prefer to budget, they will be able to eat with basic, low quality store brand ketchup. The ketchup will be charged by the litre of liquid that is placed onto the dining plate. Measurements of how much ketchup a customer has used will be carried out using a small sensor implemented into the bottle, this will record the measurements and automatically add the appropriate charge to the bill.
Water - Tap (£20 per litre), Mineral (£150 per bottle)
Like with the ketchup above the water will work the same way, low quality tap water can be used for budgeting but for more middle class diners they may choose the mineral option.
Seating - Chair (£40 per 30 minutes of sitting), Floor (free)
Restaurant goers will be charged every half an hour for sitting on chairs due to the high volume of customers that restaurants experience, however customers will have the option of dining on the floor if they cannot afford to sit on a chair. Chairs will be fitted with a pressure sensor which will record the amount of time a customer has been sitting for, this charge will then be automatically added to the final bill.
Wasting Food - Anything from £100 - £500
Failing to finish what is on the plate is a chargeable offense in the restaurant from now on, and a customer can be charged anything from £100 up to £500 for not clearing their plate. It will of course vary by what food the customer ordered and how much is left uneaten on the plate.
Use of the toilet - #1 (£15), #2 (£60)
Toilet use in a restaurant will now be charged based on what the customer is using the toilet for. Discharging those £150 mineral waters will cost you dearly, but not as much as discharging those hamburgers that you put £80 Heinz high quality ketchup on. Toilets will be fitted with sensors to detect and record which type of substance you have discharged, this will then be automatically added to the bill.
Ice Cubes - 1 (£10), 2 (£20), 3 (£30) etc. *may also vary by perimeter, area and volume of cube*
Some drinks are best served ice cold but there will be an additional charge for this service as well as a charge for the number of ice cubes you request in your drink. The perimeter, area and volume of each cube used will be measured and also taken into account for the charge. This is almost a necessity because to encourage people to use this service The Restaurant Group have stated that any drink that does not have ice cubes will be served at an optimum temperature in excess of 30°C.
Release of bodily functions - Burping (£50), Farting (£100)
Most restaurants can now afford Sky for the premium sports channels, and they now have a way of affording it - by charging you, the customer. All TVs in the restaurant will be fitted with cameras and when the eyes of a person lock onto the camera directly - which will happen when the person looks at the TV screen - this will be recorded every 30 seconds and automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Condiments - Various (£200 - £500)
Condiment charges now apply depending on which one is being used and can be charged from £200 up to £500. It will also depend on the brand, similar situation like with the ketchup, for example Saxa salt will naturally cost considerably more than basic store brand salt.
Reading the menu - £20 per minute
Menus are now fitted with small micro cameras which can detect when your eyes are reading the information on the card. Yep, you guessed it, these cameras will record these eye movements and it will be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Tips - Waiter (£20), Chef (£50), Manager (£100)
If you regularly eat at any of the above establishments then this article will be of particular interest to you as The Restaurant Group have announced they are bringing unnecessary expensive surcharges into all of their restaurants for various services, utensils, extras and even the decor.
The Restaurant Group stated that the reason for these surcharges is that they just wanted to do it to make more money for themselves. To enforce these charges modern, up to date technology will be used.
Some of the new changes include:
Cutlery - Knife (£20), Spoon (£30), Fork (£35)
Cutlery - Knife (£20), Spoon (£30), Fork (£35)
Since the theft of cutlery has been increasing in restaurants recently, the use of stated utensils will now come at a price, and not a cheap one at that! The use of cutlery will cost the diner greatly and the cost will be included in the final bill at the end of the meal under the new "utensils & cutlery" charge. However it is not mandatory for restaurant customers to use cutlery as The Restaurant Group have stated customers are free to use their hands to eat their food.
Ketchup - Basic Store Brand (£30 per litre), Heinz (£80 per litre)
For those who prefer to eat their meal with ketchup this will be possible but will also cost. Customers will have the choice of eating with high quality Heinz ketchup for a higher charge or if they prefer to budget, they will be able to eat with basic, low quality store brand ketchup. The ketchup will be charged by the litre of liquid that is placed onto the dining plate. Measurements of how much ketchup a customer has used will be carried out using a small sensor implemented into the bottle, this will record the measurements and automatically add the appropriate charge to the bill.
Water - Tap (£20 per litre), Mineral (£150 per bottle)
Like with the ketchup above the water will work the same way, low quality tap water can be used for budgeting but for more middle class diners they may choose the mineral option.
Seating - Chair (£40 per 30 minutes of sitting), Floor (free)
Restaurant goers will be charged every half an hour for sitting on chairs due to the high volume of customers that restaurants experience, however customers will have the option of dining on the floor if they cannot afford to sit on a chair. Chairs will be fitted with a pressure sensor which will record the amount of time a customer has been sitting for, this charge will then be automatically added to the final bill.
Wasting Food - Anything from £100 - £500
Failing to finish what is on the plate is a chargeable offense in the restaurant from now on, and a customer can be charged anything from £100 up to £500 for not clearing their plate. It will of course vary by what food the customer ordered and how much is left uneaten on the plate.
Use of the toilet - #1 (£15), #2 (£60)
Toilet use in a restaurant will now be charged based on what the customer is using the toilet for. Discharging those £150 mineral waters will cost you dearly, but not as much as discharging those hamburgers that you put £80 Heinz high quality ketchup on. Toilets will be fitted with sensors to detect and record which type of substance you have discharged, this will then be automatically added to the bill.
Observing the art - Da Vinci (£300), Monet (£400), Picasso (£500), Van Gogh (£600), Warhol (£800) *all per 15 seconds of observations*
All restaurants have artwork displayed on the walls and Restaurant Group are no exception to this. The one exception, however, is Restaurant Group actually charge you to look at the paintings. Depending on which artist's work you are looking at you will be charged an amount for your observations every 15 seconds. All paintings will have a small camera on the frame of the picture which will detect when you are looking at the painting, this will then be recorded and automatically added to the bill.
Ice Cubes - 1 (£10), 2 (£20), 3 (£30) etc. *may also vary by perimeter, area and volume of cube*
Some drinks are best served ice cold but there will be an additional charge for this service as well as a charge for the number of ice cubes you request in your drink. The perimeter, area and volume of each cube used will be measured and also taken into account for the charge. This is almost a necessity because to encourage people to use this service The Restaurant Group have stated that any drink that does not have ice cubes will be served at an optimum temperature in excess of 30°C.
Release of bodily functions - Burping (£50), Farting (£100)
Bodily functions will have to be controlled in the presence of other restaurant diners otherwise they will be recorded by small but powerful microphones hidden in various places across the restaurant and the charge will automatically be added onto the bill at the end of the meal.
Listening to the music - £75 per track
Listening to the music - £75 per track
If music is being played inside the restaurant and you are listening to it, you will be charged for this. This is not Restaurant Group policy, it is now a legal requirement by the PPL and PRS. All restaurants will be equipped with cameras to monitor all customers and if body movements are received in line with the beat of the music playing, this will be recorded and automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Watching TV - £150 per 30 seconds
Watching TV - £150 per 30 seconds
Most restaurants can now afford Sky for the premium sports channels, and they now have a way of affording it - by charging you, the customer. All TVs in the restaurant will be fitted with cameras and when the eyes of a person lock onto the camera directly - which will happen when the person looks at the TV screen - this will be recorded every 30 seconds and automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Condiments - Various (£200 - £500)
Condiment charges now apply depending on which one is being used and can be charged from £200 up to £500. It will also depend on the brand, similar situation like with the ketchup, for example Saxa salt will naturally cost considerably more than basic store brand salt.
Reading the menu - £20 per minute
Menus are now fitted with small micro cameras which can detect when your eyes are reading the information on the card. Yep, you guessed it, these cameras will record these eye movements and it will be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Tips - Waiter (£20), Chef (£50), Manager (£100)
Tips are now mandatory in all Restaurant Group establishments and these tips are added to the bill by default.
Maastricht man jailed after refusing to let robber take garden gnomes
Andries Adrichem, 32, told robber Tijn Dirix, 23, to "go away" after Mr Dirix attempted to rob Adrichem's house in Maastricht, The Netherlands. He did leave when told to but the remarks really hurt his feelings, a court heard.
Adrichem, a plumber, was given a four-and-a-half year prison sentence at Maastricht District Court on Monday for failing to let a robber carry out his criminal duties and breach of the peace by making offensive remarks. Adrichem was told by the judge he had "acted in a selfish manner" by not letting Mr Dirix take the gnomes and kicking him out of the house.
The court heard Mr Adrichem was at home in Maastricht with his wife Angelina, 31, when Dirix, a neighbour, forced his way in at 8am on Aug 19 last year. Dirix was drunk. Words were exchanged and Dirix said he had a knife and threatened to stab Mr Adrichem if he did not hand over his garden gnomes.
Undeterred by the threat Adrichem told robber, Dirix that he would not hand over his garden gnomes and he told the robber to go away. Mr Dirix was very upset by this, left the house and spent the entire day crying over the remark.
Adrichem, a plumber, was given a four-and-a-half year prison sentence at Maastricht District Court on Monday for failing to let a robber carry out his criminal duties and breach of the peace by making offensive remarks. Adrichem was told by the judge he had "acted in a selfish manner" by not letting Mr Dirix take the gnomes and kicking him out of the house.
The court heard Mr Adrichem was at home in Maastricht with his wife Angelina, 31, when Dirix, a neighbour, forced his way in at 8am on Aug 19 last year. Dirix was drunk. Words were exchanged and Dirix said he had a knife and threatened to stab Mr Adrichem if he did not hand over his garden gnomes.
Undeterred by the threat Adrichem told robber, Dirix that he would not hand over his garden gnomes and he told the robber to go away. Mr Dirix was very upset by this, left the house and spent the entire day crying over the remark.
Judge Theo Van-Oirschot told Adrichem "Burglars have a right to break into a house and take things without being insulted, your parents ought to be ashamed of themselves, they clearly didn't raise you correctly."
Speaking after the case, Mr Dirix said: "I was really upset by what he said, I mean he has way better garden gnomes than me and I wanted them for myself, is that really so much to ask for? I'm glad the judge saw it my way and jailed him for hurting my feelings, hopefully while he is in prison I will be able to take his garden gnomes."
Adrichem admitted the charge and claimed he didn't realise how much of an impact his words had on the robber.
Speaking after the case, Mr Dirix said: "I was really upset by what he said, I mean he has way better garden gnomes than me and I wanted them for myself, is that really so much to ask for? I'm glad the judge saw it my way and jailed him for hurting my feelings, hopefully while he is in prison I will be able to take his garden gnomes."
Adrichem admitted the charge and claimed he didn't realise how much of an impact his words had on the robber.
Sunday 4 August 2013
Middlesbrough burglar carried out raid two days after getting suspended sentence receives another suspended sentence
A BURGLAR who carried out a raid just two days after being given a suspended prison sentence has been given another suspended sentence and another chance.
Merritt Pierson was given a reprieve on July 15 for a "mean" distraction theft at a charity shop during which he stole staff belongings and money.
While an accomplice waylaid workers at the Teesside Hospice shop in Middlesbrough, Pierson took mobile phones and cash from their handbags as well stealing from the donation box.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision and a curfew when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court after Judge Armstrong took pity on him because "he looked sorry."
Yet two days later, he was with another man when almost £700 worth of power tools were stolen from a building firm in the town.
Judge Al Mottershead told him on Friday: "You are routinely before the courts for dishonesty. The one you are in breach of was a particularly mean offence.
"Only a few days after Judge Armstrong took a chance on you (the earlier hearing) you commit another burglary."
Merritt Pierson was given a reprieve on July 15 for a "mean" distraction theft at a charity shop during which he stole staff belongings and money.
While an accomplice waylaid workers at the Teesside Hospice shop in Middlesbrough, Pierson took mobile phones and cash from their handbags as well stealing from the donation box.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision and a curfew when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court after Judge Armstrong took pity on him because "he looked sorry."
Yet two days later, he was with another man when almost £700 worth of power tools were stolen from a building firm in the town.
Judge Al Mottershead told him on Friday: "You are routinely before the courts for dishonesty. The one you are in breach of was a particularly mean offence.
"Only a few days after Judge Armstrong took a chance on you (the earlier hearing) you commit another burglary."
"On your previous visit to the court Judge Armstrong took pity on you because you looked like you were sorry for the robbery of the charity shop workers."
"It seems to me that this recent stealing of the power tools may have been a wrong choice on your part and I believe you genuinely do regret what you did even though you don't show it, so I am giving you another chance. Just be aware that you will really only get one last chance if you end up in this court again before you start getting punished with fines, community service and more suspended sentences."
Andrew Teate, mitigating, said Pierson was paid £15 by his accomplice to help with the power tool raid. He apparently did it because he thought he could put it on his CV as work experience, since it was paid work.
"His plan was to carry out the raid, receive his £15 then put on his CV under experience 'Paid £15 to break into a building and steal power tools' which he thought might increase his chances of getting a career," he said.
Pierson, of Enfield Street, Middlesbrough, admitted burglary and breaching a suspended sentence.
Andrew Teate, mitigating, said Pierson was paid £15 by his accomplice to help with the power tool raid. He apparently did it because he thought he could put it on his CV as work experience, since it was paid work.
"His plan was to carry out the raid, receive his £15 then put on his CV under experience 'Paid £15 to break into a building and steal power tools' which he thought might increase his chances of getting a career," he said.
Pierson, of Enfield Street, Middlesbrough, admitted burglary and breaching a suspended sentence.
Saturday 3 August 2013
Animal thief hit 21 pet stores across West Midlands in seven months
A brazen thief has admitted taking various pets from 21 pet stores across the Black Country and Staffordshire without paying for them during a seven-month stealing spree.
Ecbert Sitz drove across various towns in the West Midlands with the intent of stealing pets to sell them, and make a profit. West Midlands police discovered he made over £1,000 from doing this.
The 19-year-old, of Kendrick House, Green Lane, West Bromwich, pleaded guilty to six offences and asked for another 15 to be considered when he is sentenced.
Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard he stole from pet stores in Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Stafford and across Sandwell between January and July last year.
Ecbert Sitz drove across various towns in the West Midlands with the intent of stealing pets to sell them, and make a profit. West Midlands police discovered he made over £1,000 from doing this.
The 19-year-old, of Kendrick House, Green Lane, West Bromwich, pleaded guilty to six offences and asked for another 15 to be considered when he is sentenced.
Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard he stole from pet stores in Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Stafford and across Sandwell between January and July last year.
The court was told that he went into the pet stores and pretended to be interested in purchasing a pet, he then asks if he can hold it and when he does so he runs out of the store without paying for the pet.
The pets he stole include rats, hamsters, rabbits, mice, monkeys as well as dogs and cats. He made off with a value in excess of £700 worth in total during that period. Sitz, who has previous convictions for theft, was caught on CCTV at the stores but originally claimed he had bought the pets legitimately, despite clear cut CCTV showing him leaving the store without any transaction being carried out.
Among the stores he targeted were the Walkers pet shop in High Street, Bilston, where he took a hamster worth £70; Pets At Home in the Oldbury Green Retail Park, Oldbury, where he took a cockroach worth £30; and the Just For Pets shop in Ryemarket, Stourbridge, making off with a cat worth £60.
His other thefts included a £45 chameleon lizard from Bearwood Pets in Smethwick, which was harder to prove because these types of lizards tend to blend into their surroundings, therefore the shop's CCTV was unable to see him leave the store with the lizard; a piranha worth £100 from the Beacon Pet Aquarium in Sundial Lane, Great Barr; a clownfish worth £80 from MG Marines in Churchfield Street, Dudley; a parrot worth £60 from Two by Two in the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brierley Hill, again this was hard to prove because he taught the parrot to speak out in his defense when it was interviewed by West Midlands Police.
The pets he stole include rats, hamsters, rabbits, mice, monkeys as well as dogs and cats. He made off with a value in excess of £700 worth in total during that period. Sitz, who has previous convictions for theft, was caught on CCTV at the stores but originally claimed he had bought the pets legitimately, despite clear cut CCTV showing him leaving the store without any transaction being carried out.
Among the stores he targeted were the Walkers pet shop in High Street, Bilston, where he took a hamster worth £70; Pets At Home in the Oldbury Green Retail Park, Oldbury, where he took a cockroach worth £30; and the Just For Pets shop in Ryemarket, Stourbridge, making off with a cat worth £60.
His other thefts included a £45 chameleon lizard from Bearwood Pets in Smethwick, which was harder to prove because these types of lizards tend to blend into their surroundings, therefore the shop's CCTV was unable to see him leave the store with the lizard; a piranha worth £100 from the Beacon Pet Aquarium in Sundial Lane, Great Barr; a clownfish worth £80 from MG Marines in Churchfield Street, Dudley; a parrot worth £60 from Two by Two in the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brierley Hill, again this was hard to prove because he taught the parrot to speak out in his defense when it was interviewed by West Midlands Police.
He also took a Dalmation dog worth £60 from Langley Pet Supplies in Langley High Street, Oldbury and a 4 meter python snake worth £50 from the Bordesley Green Pet Shop in Small Heath, Birmingham.
He also stole various exotic pets from shops in Walsall and Stafford. The court was told Sitz had written a note on his statement for the extra thefts saying: “I deeply regret and feel sorry for my committed crimes. I want to repay for my offences.”
Mr Michael Green, defending, said his client had not committed any further offences since those last year.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report.
He also stole various exotic pets from shops in Walsall and Stafford. The court was told Sitz had written a note on his statement for the extra thefts saying: “I deeply regret and feel sorry for my committed crimes. I want to repay for my offences.”
Mr Michael Green, defending, said his client had not committed any further offences since those last year.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report.
Thursday 1 August 2013
Young Carrick-on-Suir boy sits on the toilet for 'an entire day' after eating laxative chocolate bar
A mother from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland has warned parents to check their chocolate bars before allowing their children to consume them after her son ate a chocolate bar that had been purposely filled with laxatives by the company and he ended up sitting on the toilet for an entire day.
Ten year-old Fearchar Hanegan from Kickham Street, Carrick-on-Suir went to the Clery's newsagents on Main Street to purchase a Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate bar, but little did he know of the impending doom that the offending bar would bring - 24 hours of sitting the toilet.
When she realized the chocolate bar was behind the incident she reported the matter to the Gardai, who carried out an investigation. The Gardai interviewed Fearchar and asked him his thoughts on the chocolate bar, he reportedly told Gardai officers that the chocolate bar was "crap".
Ten year-old Fearchar Hanegan from Kickham Street, Carrick-on-Suir went to the Clery's newsagents on Main Street to purchase a Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate bar, but little did he know of the impending doom that the offending bar would bring - 24 hours of sitting the toilet.
His mother, Sive Hanegan said: "For an entire day Fearchar was unable to leave the bathroom, he must have sat on that toilet for an entire day. To ensure he didn't get bored I brought the living room TV and the Sky Digibox into the bathroom as well his Xbox 360.
“I had no idea it was due to a laxative filled chocolate bar was the reason this happened, but it was obvious because it was the last thing he ate on the day before.” said the mother.
“I had no idea it was due to a laxative filled chocolate bar was the reason this happened, but it was obvious because it was the last thing he ate on the day before.” said the mother.
When she realized the chocolate bar was behind the incident she reported the matter to the Gardai, who carried out an investigation. The Gardai interviewed Fearchar and asked him his thoughts on the chocolate bar, he reportedly told Gardai officers that the chocolate bar was "crap".
Cadbury's Irish offices in Dublin were contacted by Gardai and they admitted that they had included laxatives in a bar made in their factory in the Tallaght area of Dublin. They stated the reason they did this was to "do something that no other chocolate bar manufacturer has done before" and hoped that it would gain international media attention.
However they stated that the bar was "not suppose to go on sale" and that it was an accident. They apologized and assured Irish citizens that it would not happen again, therefore no arrests or charges have been made by the Gardai.
Cadbury's offices in Coolock released a statement saying that only one chocolate bar was contaminated and all others were fine.
However the mother is not happy, she is suing Cadbury's for €50,000,000 in damages, inconvenience and Glade air fresheners that she had to purchase to rid her bathroom of a strong stench of stool after the incident was over.
However they stated that the bar was "not suppose to go on sale" and that it was an accident. They apologized and assured Irish citizens that it would not happen again, therefore no arrests or charges have been made by the Gardai.
Cadbury's offices in Coolock released a statement saying that only one chocolate bar was contaminated and all others were fine.
However the mother is not happy, she is suing Cadbury's for €50,000,000 in damages, inconvenience and Glade air fresheners that she had to purchase to rid her bathroom of a strong stench of stool after the incident was over.
Wednesday 31 July 2013
Bedouin release two kidnapped camels in Egypt
Two camels have been released just a few hours after being kidnapped on Thursday by the Bedouin tribe on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
The release followed negotiations with security officials and camel handlers, according to Police Chief Abd-al-Rashid El-Mofty.
"They have been released and are heading back to their place of accommodation somewhere in the Sinai desert," El-Mofty said, adding that the release follows "intense negotiations" between the kidnappers and security officials, he said.
The camels were walking from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh, a popular tourist resort, and had stopped to rest near the town of Ras Sidr, about 80km south of Suez, when they were kidnapped by the tribesmen, the sources said.
The kidnappers told reporters they were demanding the release of four people held in Alexandria on the death penalty for littering.
A zoo in Cairo said they are investigating.
"We're aware of reports about two kidnapped camels. We would are hopeful that the camels have not been harmed and will be looking into this immediately." a zoo spokesman said.
Since an uprising overthrew president Hosni Mubarak last year, the Sinai has grown ever more lawless.
The Bedouin have pressed hard for the release of captive tribesmen they say have been sentenced unfairly on charges ranging from littering to failing to flush public toilets and even camel trafficking across the border into Israel.
Other camels have been kidnapped in similar circumstances last year but were released unharmed.
Two Egyptian snakes were kidnapped in Sinai in February last year and refused water in scorching temperatures by their kidnappers, but luckily Egyptian authorities negotiated their release into the desert a few hours later.
Also, a lion and a wolf were kidnapped and held captive in late May that year, and then two antelopes in July. The captives were released into the desert within days in both incidents.
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is well known for animal kidnappings by Bedouin tribes scattered around the peninsula.
The release followed negotiations with security officials and camel handlers, according to Police Chief Abd-al-Rashid El-Mofty.
"They have been released and are heading back to their place of accommodation somewhere in the Sinai desert," El-Mofty said, adding that the release follows "intense negotiations" between the kidnappers and security officials, he said.
The camels were walking from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh, a popular tourist resort, and had stopped to rest near the town of Ras Sidr, about 80km south of Suez, when they were kidnapped by the tribesmen, the sources said.
The kidnappers told reporters they were demanding the release of four people held in Alexandria on the death penalty for littering.
A zoo in Cairo said they are investigating.
"We're aware of reports about two kidnapped camels. We would are hopeful that the camels have not been harmed and will be looking into this immediately." a zoo spokesman said.
Since an uprising overthrew president Hosni Mubarak last year, the Sinai has grown ever more lawless.
The Bedouin have pressed hard for the release of captive tribesmen they say have been sentenced unfairly on charges ranging from littering to failing to flush public toilets and even camel trafficking across the border into Israel.
Other camels have been kidnapped in similar circumstances last year but were released unharmed.
Two Egyptian snakes were kidnapped in Sinai in February last year and refused water in scorching temperatures by their kidnappers, but luckily Egyptian authorities negotiated their release into the desert a few hours later.
Also, a lion and a wolf were kidnapped and held captive in late May that year, and then two antelopes in July. The captives were released into the desert within days in both incidents.
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is well known for animal kidnappings by Bedouin tribes scattered around the peninsula.
Sunday 21 July 2013
Two week holiday to Marseille for Somerset builder who cheated pensioner out of £120k
A CONFIDENCE trickster who charged an elderly Somerset woman more than £100,000 for unnecessary building work at her home has been sentenced to a two week holiday to Marseille, Southern France and he was also rewarded by being allowed to keep the money he conned the woman out of.
Zack Rice, 46, from Bridgwater, Somerset was a ‘callous and skilful’ conman who charmed the 74-year-old victim from Taunton before overcharging her for building and gas work.
Taunton Crown Court was told that Rice, who was rewarded with £5,000 in 2001 for almost identical offences in Tiverton, Devon, was a fantasist. who forged friendships with a number of unnamed women.
He would groom them by offering them sweets and chocolate as part of the deceit.
Rice even told his victim in Taunton that he had an olympic sized swimming pool and lived in a mansion.
His victim, who had recently been widowed, described him as a nice, friendly and intelligent man.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and one of engaging in an unfair practice.
Recorder Michael Robins said he was pleased that Rice had shown no remorse or degree of empathy with his victim and would do the same again if given the chance.
He was quoted as saying to the defendant: "There is only one way to deal with people like you, and that is to reward you with holidays and more money.
"We need people like you to carry out scams like this so we can send out a message to other people to be more careful. Hopefully your victim will think twice next time."
Zack Rice, 46, from Bridgwater, Somerset was a ‘callous and skilful’ conman who charmed the 74-year-old victim from Taunton before overcharging her for building and gas work.
Taunton Crown Court was told that Rice, who was rewarded with £5,000 in 2001 for almost identical offences in Tiverton, Devon, was a fantasist. who forged friendships with a number of unnamed women.
He would groom them by offering them sweets and chocolate as part of the deceit.
Rice even told his victim in Taunton that he had an olympic sized swimming pool and lived in a mansion.
His victim, who had recently been widowed, described him as a nice, friendly and intelligent man.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and one of engaging in an unfair practice.
Recorder Michael Robins said he was pleased that Rice had shown no remorse or degree of empathy with his victim and would do the same again if given the chance.
He was quoted as saying to the defendant: "There is only one way to deal with people like you, and that is to reward you with holidays and more money.
"We need people like you to carry out scams like this so we can send out a message to other people to be more careful. Hopefully your victim will think twice next time."
Tuesday 16 July 2013
Shopkeeper's pocket tissues stolen by thieves
A SHOPKEEPER who fell victim to a distraction theft says he has been overwhelmed with well wishes.
A man entered the Bookshop in East Grinstead, West Sussex and asked for a cup of tea, before reaching into the shopkeeper's pockets and stealing his Kleenex Pocket Tissues.
Undeterred by the unfortunate incident, Giffard O'Doyle believes the most important thing is to guard your tissues more carefully.
He said: "It seems to be the crime of choice at the moment. It's the second time my pocket tissues have been stolen in three weeks. It's galling and it's wicked, and due to my bad luck I always get a runny nose 5 minutes after being robbed of them.
"The tissues have no financial value, but not being equipped with tissues can cause inconvenience to the victim and I believe that is why they are being stolen from people.
"It was very annoying and quite upsetting, especially since I always require use of them right after they are stolen from me.
"I have also been further inconvenienced because during my lunch break I like to go into the back storage room and masturbate. Without my Kleenex tissues I am no longer able to carry out this activity without making a mess."
Police arrived at the scene just minutes after the stolen tissues were reported on Saturday at about 1.30pm.
Mr O'Doyle said: "I had a new Saturday girl who had started work just 15 minutes earlier. One of her first jobs was to ride around the town in the back of a police car trying to spot the offender.
"The man said he wanted some books and some tea, but asked if he could pay when his friends arrived. She went out to make the teas while I was there cashing up, and within 30 seconds he reached into my pocket and stole the tissues, surprisingly uninterested by the money that was more easily accessible.
"I was spitting blood when it happened because I was just so shocked and disgusted. Five minutes later my nose started running but since my resources to deal with the incident had been stolen from me, I had no other alternative but to wipe my nose on my shirt, much to the disgust of other customers in the shop."
"The most important thing is that people are more careful when it comes to their tissues," Mr O'Doyle added. "I may have fallen victim to it this time, but together we have to fight against these people to stop it from happening again. These people have always been around and they always will be. They're evil, they're after our Kleenexes and will stop at nothing."
The suspect in the book shop theft is described as a tall, broad, white male aged about 30.
Sussex Police described it as a "snotty situation" and urge anyone with information to call them on 101.
A man entered the Bookshop in East Grinstead, West Sussex and asked for a cup of tea, before reaching into the shopkeeper's pockets and stealing his Kleenex Pocket Tissues.
Undeterred by the unfortunate incident, Giffard O'Doyle believes the most important thing is to guard your tissues more carefully.
He said: "It seems to be the crime of choice at the moment. It's the second time my pocket tissues have been stolen in three weeks. It's galling and it's wicked, and due to my bad luck I always get a runny nose 5 minutes after being robbed of them.
"The tissues have no financial value, but not being equipped with tissues can cause inconvenience to the victim and I believe that is why they are being stolen from people.
"It was very annoying and quite upsetting, especially since I always require use of them right after they are stolen from me.
"I have also been further inconvenienced because during my lunch break I like to go into the back storage room and masturbate. Without my Kleenex tissues I am no longer able to carry out this activity without making a mess."
Police arrived at the scene just minutes after the stolen tissues were reported on Saturday at about 1.30pm.
Mr O'Doyle said: "I had a new Saturday girl who had started work just 15 minutes earlier. One of her first jobs was to ride around the town in the back of a police car trying to spot the offender.
"The man said he wanted some books and some tea, but asked if he could pay when his friends arrived. She went out to make the teas while I was there cashing up, and within 30 seconds he reached into my pocket and stole the tissues, surprisingly uninterested by the money that was more easily accessible.
"I was spitting blood when it happened because I was just so shocked and disgusted. Five minutes later my nose started running but since my resources to deal with the incident had been stolen from me, I had no other alternative but to wipe my nose on my shirt, much to the disgust of other customers in the shop."
"The most important thing is that people are more careful when it comes to their tissues," Mr O'Doyle added. "I may have fallen victim to it this time, but together we have to fight against these people to stop it from happening again. These people have always been around and they always will be. They're evil, they're after our Kleenexes and will stop at nothing."
The suspect in the book shop theft is described as a tall, broad, white male aged about 30.
Sussex Police described it as a "snotty situation" and urge anyone with information to call them on 101.
Monday 15 July 2013
Linwood Mcgill jailed for knife attack on friend Marmaduke Bunker because he "refused to share his Malteasers"
A drug-crazed man from Folkestone who launched an "unprovoked, frenzied and violent" attack with a knife has today been jailed for 15 years.
Linwood Mcgill, 28, stabbed friend Marmaduke Bunker four times in a flat in Cheriton Road in August last year.
Senior police officers said the trigger had been that they were at Bunker's flat watching TV - and Mcgill lashed out when the victim refused to share his Malteasers.
The 44-year-old victim staggered into the street with blood pouring from his chest and back, but his life was saved by good samaritans and paramedics.
One woman used basic paper towels to stop the blood and another passer-by coincidentally had a first aid kit containing bandages.
Paramedics arrived and Mr Bunker was flown by air ambulance to a London hospital where doctors in the intensive care unit fought to save his life.
The passers-by have been praised by senior investigating officer DI Ross Runner, who said: "This was an horrific attack over chocolate and the victim was lucky to escape with his life.
"Despite being faced with an alarming incident, a number of people rushed to help the victim. Not only did they administer life saving first aid using basic tools but they also contacted the emergency services.
"I have nothing but praise for these individuals who refused to look the other way and came to the aid of someone who was in dire need for help."
Mcgill, of Coolidge Road, Folkestone, was found guilty of attempted murder by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court.
A probation officer who prepared a report prior to sentence said the knifeman still posed a danger to the public.
Judge Leighton Chancellor said: "Although I agree that chocolate is irresistibly tasty and to literally stab for, as you did, the law says I still have to punish you."
Linwood Mcgill, 28, stabbed friend Marmaduke Bunker four times in a flat in Cheriton Road in August last year.
Senior police officers said the trigger had been that they were at Bunker's flat watching TV - and Mcgill lashed out when the victim refused to share his Malteasers.
The 44-year-old victim staggered into the street with blood pouring from his chest and back, but his life was saved by good samaritans and paramedics.
One woman used basic paper towels to stop the blood and another passer-by coincidentally had a first aid kit containing bandages.
Paramedics arrived and Mr Bunker was flown by air ambulance to a London hospital where doctors in the intensive care unit fought to save his life.
The passers-by have been praised by senior investigating officer DI Ross Runner, who said: "This was an horrific attack over chocolate and the victim was lucky to escape with his life.
"Despite being faced with an alarming incident, a number of people rushed to help the victim. Not only did they administer life saving first aid using basic tools but they also contacted the emergency services.
"I have nothing but praise for these individuals who refused to look the other way and came to the aid of someone who was in dire need for help."
Mcgill, of Coolidge Road, Folkestone, was found guilty of attempted murder by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court.
A probation officer who prepared a report prior to sentence said the knifeman still posed a danger to the public.
Judge Leighton Chancellor said: "Although I agree that chocolate is irresistibly tasty and to literally stab for, as you did, the law says I still have to punish you."
On top of the 15 year jail sentence, Mcgill has been banned from consuming chocolate for life with a chocolate products restraining order - he must keep at least 20 feet away from any chocolate products.
Prosecutor Dominic Connolly had told how the two men had been watching TV at his flat in Cheriton Road.
He said: "While they were there Mcgill attacked Mr Bunker with a knife in an unprovoked, frenzied and violent attack just because Mr Bunker refused to share his Malteasers with Mcgill. He was stabbed four times - three times in the back and once in the chest."
The prosecutor told how the victim fled from the flat, but collapsed in the street where "members of the public came to his assistance after he had received life threatening injuries".
Mr Connolly added: "His life was saved by the prompt actions of members of the public and the ambulance service."
"Mr. Bunker was eating a packet of Malteasers and Mcgill then asked if he could have some and the victim refused, the next thing he remembers was receiving three bangs from behind his left shoulder", said the prosecutor.
As he turned around he saw Mcgill holding a knife and was then struck in the chest.
After the incident, Bunker attempted to dispose of the evidence by washing the knife, but was arrested.
His victim revealed to the court in a victim impact statement that the attack has had lasting physical and mental effects on him.
Mr Connolly revealed Mr Bunker gets out of breath easily, suffers numbness in his left arm and is now fearful of eating Malteasers.
DI Runner, from the Kent and Essex Crime Directorate told how officers discovered the victim "curled up on the pavement and losing vast amounts of blood".
Prosecutor Dominic Connolly had told how the two men had been watching TV at his flat in Cheriton Road.
He said: "While they were there Mcgill attacked Mr Bunker with a knife in an unprovoked, frenzied and violent attack just because Mr Bunker refused to share his Malteasers with Mcgill. He was stabbed four times - three times in the back and once in the chest."
The prosecutor told how the victim fled from the flat, but collapsed in the street where "members of the public came to his assistance after he had received life threatening injuries".
Mr Connolly added: "His life was saved by the prompt actions of members of the public and the ambulance service."
"Mr. Bunker was eating a packet of Malteasers and Mcgill then asked if he could have some and the victim refused, the next thing he remembers was receiving three bangs from behind his left shoulder", said the prosecutor.
As he turned around he saw Mcgill holding a knife and was then struck in the chest.
After the incident, Bunker attempted to dispose of the evidence by washing the knife, but was arrested.
His victim revealed to the court in a victim impact statement that the attack has had lasting physical and mental effects on him.
Mr Connolly revealed Mr Bunker gets out of breath easily, suffers numbness in his left arm and is now fearful of eating Malteasers.
DI Runner, from the Kent and Essex Crime Directorate told how officers discovered the victim "curled up on the pavement and losing vast amounts of blood".
 |
| This is the offending item which caused the conflict between Mcgill and Mr Bunker, this is not the exact same packet in question, but a similar one. |
Sunday 30 June 2013
Shopping trolley to disrupt East Grinstead traffic for 8 weeks
West Sussex motorists are facing two months of misery due to a shopping trolley that has been abandoned on one of the main routes through East Grinstead.
West Sussex council have apologised in advance for the delay, however due to other projects throughout the county, the shopping trolley has been placed lowest priority.
The trolley is a basic shopping cart with four wheels and it is believed to have come from the Iceland store just off West Street.
The trolley was left abandoned by a member of the public on Friday afternoon at the junction with St John's Road and eastwards towards Cranston Road.
A West Sussex Council spokesman said: "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by the trolley. We recognise that the road in question is a busy road in the town but we currently have other priorities and the shopping trolley can not be moved for 8 weeks."
The spokesman added that due to health and safety the public are not allowed to move the trolley themselves and large traffic cones have been placed around it. Drivers will have to drive around the trolley and this may cause disruptions.
West Sussex council have apologised in advance for the delay, however due to other projects throughout the county, the shopping trolley has been placed lowest priority.
The trolley is a basic shopping cart with four wheels and it is believed to have come from the Iceland store just off West Street.
The trolley was left abandoned by a member of the public on Friday afternoon at the junction with St John's Road and eastwards towards Cranston Road.
A West Sussex Council spokesman said: "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by the trolley. We recognise that the road in question is a busy road in the town but we currently have other priorities and the shopping trolley can not be moved for 8 weeks."
The spokesman added that due to health and safety the public are not allowed to move the trolley themselves and large traffic cones have been placed around it. Drivers will have to drive around the trolley and this may cause disruptions.
Monday 24 June 2013
Tonbridge man left "scarred for life" after two decorators put up wrong wallpaper
A 26 year old man has been "scarred for life" after two decorators turned up at his Kent home to decorate his living room, and put the wrong wallpaper up.
The man, who lives on Whitelake Road, Tonbridge who we have agreed not to name, has said he is now "having to look at the wallpaper everyday" and "has contemplated suicide".
The man has said the mistake has left him "shaken to the core".
On June 10, around 12.30pm, two privately hired decorators turned up at his Tonbridge house to redecorate his living room. He was not in the living room while the new wallpaper was being put up and had not discovered the fatal mistake until they had left.
The victim said: "I hired two decorators to come in to my house and put new wallpaper in my living room. I requested light green horizontally striped wallpaper, but instead they put up dark green vertically striped wallpaper.
"I was absolutely shocked when I discovered the mistake I contacted the two decorators but they said it would cost me an extra £150 to remove the wallpaper and another £200 to put up the correct wallpaper. I can't afford that and it was their fault for getting the wallpaper wrong they should be paying me at least that much in compensation.
"I am still in total shock over this incident. Every time I go into my living room I have to look at those horrible, disgusting vertical stripes. It makes me physically sick to just be in the room."
The man added: "I have been permanently scarred for life. I can't bear to enter my living room as I end up throwing up in disgust and it severely depresses me. I have been in such stress over this that my doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and I have racked up over £500 on my phone bill from the hours I have spent talking to the Samaritans about this decoration mishap."
The man told us that he was looking into taking the two decorators to court for the stress he has been put through.
"I am in contact with my solicitor over this and I am hoping to receive a large payout over damages to my mental health and living room wall.
"I have been in a terrible state since this happened I have been eating less and have lost so much weight.
"Every night I have nightmares about every room in my house being covered in this same dark green vertically striped wallpaper from hell and I usually wake up in tears and dripping in heavy sweat."
The man, who lives on Whitelake Road, Tonbridge who we have agreed not to name, has said he is now "having to look at the wallpaper everyday" and "has contemplated suicide".
The man has said the mistake has left him "shaken to the core".
On June 10, around 12.30pm, two privately hired decorators turned up at his Tonbridge house to redecorate his living room. He was not in the living room while the new wallpaper was being put up and had not discovered the fatal mistake until they had left.
The victim said: "I hired two decorators to come in to my house and put new wallpaper in my living room. I requested light green horizontally striped wallpaper, but instead they put up dark green vertically striped wallpaper.
"I was absolutely shocked when I discovered the mistake I contacted the two decorators but they said it would cost me an extra £150 to remove the wallpaper and another £200 to put up the correct wallpaper. I can't afford that and it was their fault for getting the wallpaper wrong they should be paying me at least that much in compensation.
"I am still in total shock over this incident. Every time I go into my living room I have to look at those horrible, disgusting vertical stripes. It makes me physically sick to just be in the room."
The man added: "I have been permanently scarred for life. I can't bear to enter my living room as I end up throwing up in disgust and it severely depresses me. I have been in such stress over this that my doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and I have racked up over £500 on my phone bill from the hours I have spent talking to the Samaritans about this decoration mishap."
The man told us that he was looking into taking the two decorators to court for the stress he has been put through.
"I am in contact with my solicitor over this and I am hoping to receive a large payout over damages to my mental health and living room wall.
"I have been in a terrible state since this happened I have been eating less and have lost so much weight.
"Every night I have nightmares about every room in my house being covered in this same dark green vertically striped wallpaper from hell and I usually wake up in tears and dripping in heavy sweat."
He added: "I recommend that if you are hiring someone to redecorate your room that you keep an eye on them at all times. I do not want anybody else to go through the same thing I have gone through. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy."
Woman receives "telling off" from judge at Maidstone Crown Court after spilling water
A woman received a stern telling off from a judge after she drank a bottle of mineral water in the public gallery.
Daniel Richards appeared before Maidstone Crown Court and his partner, Emily Dalton was viewing from the public gallery. Ms Dalton then began drinking a bottle of Buxton mineral water during the trial and was ordered by the judge to stop.
When Ms Davies continued to drink the water and she accidentally spilled some of it all over the floor of the public gallery she was given a rollicking from Judge Martin Joy who could be heard saying "Now look what you've done!" – and a ban from sitting in the public gallery at his pending trial.
Richards, 24, of Tonbridge Road, Wateringbury, was at court for a case readiness hearing.
After Richards was eventually taken down to the cells, Ms Dalton was ordered by Judge Joy into the witness box to explain herself, to which she replied: “I was thirsty, drank some water and accidentally spilled it. What's the big deal? It's only mineral water, it's not end of the world.”
However, as the judge tried to explain to her the seriousness of her actions and that she could be held in damage of the court room and/or court building, Ms Davies added: “It's my human rights to drink water.”
She then continued to interrupt Judge Joy. When he told her she was in danger of “talking herself into trouble”, she nonchalantly replied: “I’m not even bothered.”
Ms Dalton was then presented with a mop and bucket and then told to clean up the mess. Surprisingly she did not argue and mopped up the mess as per the request of the judge.
Richards is due to stand trial next month on charges of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Daniel Richards appeared before Maidstone Crown Court and his partner, Emily Dalton was viewing from the public gallery. Ms Dalton then began drinking a bottle of Buxton mineral water during the trial and was ordered by the judge to stop.
When Ms Davies continued to drink the water and she accidentally spilled some of it all over the floor of the public gallery she was given a rollicking from Judge Martin Joy who could be heard saying "Now look what you've done!" – and a ban from sitting in the public gallery at his pending trial.
Richards, 24, of Tonbridge Road, Wateringbury, was at court for a case readiness hearing.
After Richards was eventually taken down to the cells, Ms Dalton was ordered by Judge Joy into the witness box to explain herself, to which she replied: “I was thirsty, drank some water and accidentally spilled it. What's the big deal? It's only mineral water, it's not end of the world.”
However, as the judge tried to explain to her the seriousness of her actions and that she could be held in damage of the court room and/or court building, Ms Davies added: “It's my human rights to drink water.”
She then continued to interrupt Judge Joy. When he told her she was in danger of “talking herself into trouble”, she nonchalantly replied: “I’m not even bothered.”
Ms Dalton was then presented with a mop and bucket and then told to clean up the mess. Surprisingly she did not argue and mopped up the mess as per the request of the judge.
Richards is due to stand trial next month on charges of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
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