So That's Why They Cut The Hands Off Thieves In Sharia Law!

A computer thief could not understand why he was charged with burglary because he had not set foot in the house he raided, a court heard.

Wha..?

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, told the court: “He didn't appreciate he was committing a burglary at the time.

“It was not the case where he actually entered the property as one would ordinarily expect. He broke the window and it was his hand that went in.”

Oh! Right. Well, that's clearly differ...

Wait! No, it's not! The judge'll never fall for that, especially when he's a prolific burglar and so should really know the rules of the game?

But then, I remember what passes for a 'justice system' here...

Crozier faced a minimum three-year prison sentence because he has two previous convictions for burglary, Teesside Crown Court was told.

But the judge, Recorder William Lowe, QC, accepted there were “unusual features” to to case and jailed the 24-year-old for 18 months.

*sighs*

Mr Recorder Lowe said: “It is a burglary in law and I understand you might see it somewhat differently.”

Is it me, or does he almost sound...apologetic...about having to pass sentence at all?

H/T: The incomparable Anna Raccoon via email

“It’s The Job Of The Council To Stop My Kids Running Into The Road!”

Ummmm, no. It’s your job. You’re the parent.

Hichame’s father, Hamid, 49, welcomed today’s patrols, but urged TfL to also reinstall barriers that were removed from the road before his son’s death.

He said: “Having a lollipop lady there is very important but it needs to be permanent and we also need speed bumps, new barriers and signs saying there are schools nearby to warn drivers.

“It’s such a busy road and this patrol is just there for short time in the mornings and afternoons, but at least there’s someone there.

“I just hope the council find the extra funding to keep it and they must work with TfL to improve safety.

“Without these measures, kids will jump in the road, look what happened to my son.”

So, what happened to your son?

Hichame was holding his mother’s hand when he broke free and dashed onto a busy one-way street near a pedestrian on an exit road from Elephant & Castle roundabout.

Has no-one in this family heard of reins? Have they fallen out of favour, as a result of the ‘My children must be free to express themselves’ brigade?

It's not like they weren't aware of the dangers of the road, is it?

"I was always scared of that road," says Mr Bouadimi.

"Most of the drivers drive fast, and if the police put a camera there they would see it. The school is very close to the main road, and I don't know who was the clever man who made the decision to take away the barriers. It's really upsetting to be honest with you. My son is gone but I'm really worried. There has to be a camera and a flashing sign showing kids coming out from school, at least at 9 o'clock and 3.30.

It's not complicated to do, it's just a sign. I don't want anybody else to experience what I've experienced."

Sorry if I sound heartless, but most of my sympathy is going to the lorry driver who was part of an unnecessary accident caused by someone else’s carelessness.

The driver, 46, of the flat-bed lorry was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and bailed by police until January.

I wonder if it’ll go forward, or be quietly dropped? Given the kid dashed out into the road, what more could he possibly have done?

Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling, said: “We do not want anyone crossing that road to feel unduly anxious or have heightened fears or anxiety.

“While this is only temporary measure in response to a tragic situation, there will be local funding available which can be used to secure a patrol for the longer-term.”

It’s not the job of councils to ‘alleviate anxiety or worry’, or to try to work out ways in which the population can take increasing risks without suffering any consequences!

And why does no-one seem to want to point out that this family's tragedy was, in most part, down to their error? I mean, as Very British Dude's experience at the swimming baths shows, some people have no trouble raising Cain over highly unlikely 'child endangerment', yet the preventable death of a toddler seems to render the family immune to all criticism.

Hull: Darwin Award Capital Of The World…

The mother of a boy who died after running in front of a bus in Hull city centre wants improved road safety measures.

Well, at least she isn’t asking for buses to be fitted with pedestrian airbags! It’s not entirely clear what she is asking for, though….

The calls come after last week a woman was involved in a collision with a bus on a pedestrian crossing where two countdown timers were introduced weeks previously.

A woman. Not a child, not even a teenager. An adult. Albeit one of those modern adults MacHeath describes, infantile and prone to immediate gratification of their desires, however foolhardy.

And this isn't even the usual excuse of there being ‘no safe place to cross’:

Colette Scholes, whose 14-year-old son Jack Fisher died in April 2008 after being hit by a bus as he ran across the nearby Brook Street junction with Ferensway, said more needs to be done to prevent accidents.

"Even with the new timers, people are still risking their lives crossing the roads," she said. "I think everyone could be doing a bit more to prevent accidents."

And by ‘everyone’, I think you must surely really mean ‘Hull pedestrians’? Because there’s precious little the local council and the bus companies can do that they haven’t already done!

It just doesn't seem to be sinking in, even with people who should know better:

Two years after Jack's fatal collision, pensioner Colin Lyon lost his life at the crossing in Margaret Moxon Way. An inquest heard he failed to look properly before crossing the road.

You can almost feel the palpable despair of the transport chief:

Graham Hall, assistant head of transport and asset management, said: … "I would urge people to take care and only cross when the green man shows as it's for their safety.

"Pedestrians may have to wait a few moments but it's better than being seriously injured.

"The countdown timers have been recently added to give pedestrians a ten-second warning to when the red man appears and traffic will start to move again."

Sadly, I fear they've only provided the lemmings of Hull with a challenge: ‘Beat The Clock!’