OUR GREAT COURTS
I thought I would share a typical example of the inability to get something as simple as bail conditions right, and almost laughable ineptitude of our local magistrates court.
We have a prolific shoplifter who constantly takes the piss out of the local shop keepers, Police and security in our High Street.
He is so bang at it at the moment that you could stop search him or his sidekick at almost anytime and he will have stolen property under his coat, and of course he is a smack head.
Anyway we decided that we were going after this particular scroat in a big way and get him out of the town centre, so he has been arrested numerous times in only a couple of weeks.
During his period of bail he has continued to offend and has been caught and remanded for court the next day.
Bail conditions were set as follows
NOT TO ENTER ANY RETAIL PREMISES IN THE AREA OF SCUMVILLE!!!
Pretty straight forward and a condition that will keep him out of the Town Centre, as all the guards know him so well they are always watching him, so job done.
Or so we thought, in step Scumville Magistrates Court, who decide to amend these conditions to the following.
They give him a curfew from 19.00hrs to 07.00hrs.
Well that will do it then, keep him at home while the shops are closed!!!
Beggars belief doesn’t it!!!
December 13, 2006 at 5:39 pm
It just about sums it up really doesn’t it. I bet Mr McNumpty would be really proud of the joined up justice system that they are so proud of and we sadly are part of. Oh well, onto the next job.
December 13, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Thats just superb idea from the magistrates. Well I suppose it keeps him out of tesco during the night though
December 14, 2006 at 1:46 pm
In fairness to the magistrates, banning him from all retail premises in the town in which he lives would give him a choice between breaching his bail conditions and doing without food, bog roll and several other necessities.
December 14, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Not really James as he lives with his other half, she is more than able to do his shopping while he waits outside. He never pays for his shopping anyway, just steals it. All the money that he gets goes on heroin!!
December 15, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Have you thought about seriously taking the Magistrates for a ride in a police van, picking out these people during the day, or showing them the difficulties of drink, drugs and violence at night! That would scare them, the criminals I mean, you know out and about during the day, and it would scare the magistrates too. Suggest it, better still do it, and give the credit to someone that is going to get promoted!
December 15, 2006 at 8:54 pm
It is amazing….what were they thinking about……but it has it’s funny side though hasn’t it.
I think we would all go mad if we didn’t laugh at certain things…wouldn’t you?
December 16, 2006 at 9:29 am
UPDATE !!!!
Same male and his other half were arrested yesterday and were remanded in custody for court today.
A short calculation showed they need to steel £160,000 worth of property each year to fund their heroin addiction.
December 16, 2006 at 1:50 pm
great….perhaps they will ban them both from shopping at night!
December 16, 2006 at 9:25 pm
“In fairness to the magistrates, banning him from all retail premises in the town in which he lives would give him a choice between breaching his bail conditions and doing without food”
….. and he’ll starve to death. The problem with this is ….. ?
December 16, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Like I said before he can get his other half to buy his food for him, that is if he ever bought his food, because he steals it anyway. The fact that he has been arrested again proves that no bail conditions will work anyway.
But at least CCTV could alert us when they see him entering a shop and he would be arrested.
December 17, 2006 at 10:00 am
When people are this persistent, this prolific, they need locking up, not releasing with conditions…Hello SouthWest ;o)
December 17, 2006 at 10:11 am
Don’t you just love the way the courts think.
I had a similar thing recently. The scumbag was stealing cars during the daytime. So the court put him on a curfew to remain at home between 2200 and 0600 hrs.
Mind you, I caught him a week later breaching his bail cons and finally got him where he deserves to be – jail.
I wish the courts would see things our way, the only way to stop these habitual offenders from offending, is to lock them up. They broke the laws of the land to begin with, do you expect them to comply with Bail conditions ??
December 17, 2006 at 2:21 pm
The banning means:
“…enters as a trespasser…”
any theft then becomes a burglary.
Considering how the government has tied Magistrates’ hands, what on earth do you realistically expect the Bench to do, within the Law?
Maximum sentence of six months imprisonment equals 60 days, which is not at all a deterrence for the recidivist.
You want better deterrence?
Change the government!
December 17, 2006 at 4:11 pm
What does sentencing have to do with bail conditions?
You know as well as I do that the government changing wont make a difference anyway, they will need pressurising too.
As for shoplifters who are trespassing, CPS will never run it as a burglary in a million years. We have tried that numerous times.
December 17, 2006 at 6:51 pm
South West hello, per the defenition, they commit a burglary. CPS might not wish to run with it, but that has got to be worth a try. If CPS don’t run with it, it’s their issue, but at some stage these people will go down, surely. And burglary is better than theft. I’d charge it, and then watch the CPS lawyers run around trying to knock it down! That’d be fun….
December 17, 2006 at 7:47 pm
The problem is that the CPS would not allow that to be charged as per the CPS charging decisions. That would have to be run by them before custody sergeant could charge so it’s a non-starter.
December 17, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Just nick an old van, then you anda few mates tour the area one night, balaclava’d up, make sure you’re wearing face masks and gloves (DNA sample etc) find the c***t, beat the shit to an inch of his life with some base ball bats, tell him never to steal or be a nuisance again otherwise you’ll faind him and cut his heart out, then drive off, (phone for an ambulance of course), dump and torch the van, burn all your clothing, and see what happens.
December 17, 2006 at 10:51 pm
I suspect we would end up in prison at some stage!!
Copper in prison, not a good prospect, I dont like soap on a rope.
December 18, 2006 at 7:01 am
yeah, you’re right, one can dream though…….(not of the soap on a rope)!
December 18, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Please don’t start me on the subject of stupid/weak Magistrates…………… I’m going to have to go and lie down in a darkened room.
December 18, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Mr G, you can’t say “stupid magistrates.” They’ll have you for that. These people are qualified aren’t they? Or are you saying they are clueless and qualified? I am having a bad day, OK I am having a really bad two weeks!
December 19, 2006 at 11:45 pm
bless the magistrates. you have to love them. after all they are the people chosen to perform the task of overseeing court cases.and not believing police officers when they tell their version of events. because naturally a shit bag with a long list of pre-cons for assaulting police officers didnt know a uniformed police officer was arresting him, panicked and lashed out. yes. that really believeable, no seriously it is.
anyway, the next time he ‘panicks and lashes out’ i hope its a magistrate who happens to walk past at the same time the scroat is putting the boot in for the 5th time because he panicked.
December 19, 2006 at 11:47 pm
how about bail conditions as follows
1-not to breath. ever
2-not to be a burden to society