And Probably Not The Last...

...because there's no chance of the useless Met Police changing, and no-one in government inclined to bring them to heel. 

A prolific burglar who broke into a M&S store to steal £500 of sirloin and T-bone steak as well as 20 bottles of prosecco, has become the first person to be jailed in a private prosecution.

Only large chains are able to afford the action this story celebrates, however. The small shopowner is unlikely to be able to afford this. 

David Hanson, 44, who had 105 previous convictions including 33 burglaries, was caught in the act and arrested by two detectives from a private policing company. The store manager from M&S in Streatham Hill had called police immediately after catching Hanson stealing on CCTV but despite the footage, the Met Police decided not to investigate.

Instead, the case was taken on by TM Eye - a private investigator company which was founded by former Scotland Yard chief detective David McKelvey. The firm, which uses plain clothed officers and those in uniform, has already helped prosecute 280 shoplifters, however, the south London case marks the first time a prosecution has been made against a thief.

Just as with the police initially ignoring reports of dangerous dogs, when they do act, they often find other criminality. So they are cutting their own throats with this policy.  

Don't You Believe In The Rule Of Law, Then, Rachel..?

Rachel Riley, the co-presenter of Countdown, has said she will stop supporting Manchester United if the club allows Mason Greenwood to return.

Oh? Who on earth is he? I'm not very up to date on my footballers...

She told her 684,000 Twitter followers: “I’m with Em, I won’t be able to support United if Greenwood remains at the club. We’ve all seen and heard enough. Pretending this is OK would be a huge part of the problem.

“It would be devastating for my club to contribute to a culture that brushes this under the carpet … I really hope they do the right thing.”

Gosh! What was he convicted of, then? As I said, I'm not really up to date on my footballers.

Well, Reader....nothing:

Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 and in October of that year was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Greenwood denied all the charges and they were dropped in February.

Well, that's awkward. Why did they drop it? 

In February, the Crown Prosecution Service said it had dropped the charges against him because there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” after key witnesses withdrew their cooperation from the investigation.

Rachel needs to be careful. It's easy to say things in the heat of the moment and then have to expensively face consequences, as she should be well aware...  

I Don't Want Such A Society Either...

As one of the many people who experience anxiety and poor mental health brought about by the trials and tribulations of modern life in our wealthy country, I urge people not to accept that this is “just the way it is”. There is clearly something wrong if doing something as simple as your weekly shopping involves such distrust.

...but I want one where shoplifters are allowed to go free, unchallenged, even less. 

I don’t want to be part of a society where shop staff behave like law enforcement, where homelessness, hardship and poverty are accepted, and a small percentage of individuals hold the bulk of the country’s wealth and assets. Things need to change. The current model doesn’t work, nor is it morally and ethically justifiable.

As I believe someone very famous once said, "Capitalism is the worst economic system, except for all the others."

Sometimes The Jury System Produces The Right Result...

...but Reader, this is not one of those times:

A knifeman accused of threatening to kill a man before stabbing him reacted after “abuse was shouted at him”, a court heard.

The trial of Allan Lindsay entered its second day at Basildon Crown Court yesterday with the 56-year-old taking to the witness box to give evidence.

Lindsay denies intending to cause the man grievous bodily harm in the stabbing on May 2 last year at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Queensway in Southend.

Lindsay was grilled by prosecuting barrister Karl Volz, where he claimed he started to follow the pedestrian because he had abused him.

Yes, you heard that right. The accused pursued the victim with a knife.  

The jury previously heard the victim had been walking when Lindsay had shouted abuse at him, saying he should “go and die”.

He is then alleged to have approached him before producing a knife and stabbing him, which the court heard narrowly missed the victim’s heart.

And hence, the CPS clearly thought "Well, this is open and shut!" 

The trial of Allan Lindsay, 56, of Marine Parade, Southend, concluded at Basildon Crown Court today with the jury unable to decide if Lindsay had intended to cause his victim serious harm.

The jury acquitted him on another charge of making threats to kill by majority verdict.

A provisional sentencing date has been set for July 19 for the charge of unlawful wounding. The Crown Prosecution Service will be considering over the next week whether a retrial will be sought.

For Lindsay, or for the idiot members of the jury on grounds of being idiots? 

They're Learning, Slowly...

Judges, that is...

The judge rejected Wales's pleas of remorse and said: 'Self pity, most certainly, but remorse, none.'

Well done, judge. You've realised what most people already know. How long did it take you? 

Mr Fowlie said he now had trouble reading small writing and has been told he may develop cataracts.

He added: 'I am still confused why she and her friends wanted to fight us and what she was thinking while throwing the glass at my face.'

Probably nothing at all... 

Tony Cornberg, defending, said Wales has never been in trouble before, has good career prospects (Ed: she was working in JD Sports!) and is now nine weeks pregnant.

Forget it, her pussy pass was declined. 

Judge Prince said he was aware Wales 'is expected to give birth while serving a prison sentence.'

If we were a truly civilised nation, the child would be adopted and she'd have her tubes tied as a condition of release. 

He's A Shoo-In Then...

A leadership candidate for one of Britain's biggest trade unions has been suspended by Labour and allegedly reported to the police for a hate crime after he called for Priti Patel to be deported.

Heh! He'll probably win now!

How nice to see them hoist of the petard they've spent so long building... 

The fallout came as huge crowds cheered and applauded yesterday when two Indian men, initially detained by Border Force officials in an immigration van, were eventually released by police following a stand-off with hundreds of protesters.

No-one should really be surprised by this, should they? 

Gurinder Singh Josan, a member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee who is also a Unite member, tweeted: 'Howard showing his true colours?

'I totally disagree on pretty much everything with Priti Patel but this is simply dog whistle racism against a woman of colour. Delete this now!'

Mr Beckett initially refused to back down, arguing that his tweet was 'about society being able to do without anyone who promotes racism'.

Which is clearly what you are doing, by the very standards you've demanded everyone else be hald to... 

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The UK Government is tackling illegal immigration and the harm it causes, often to the most vulnerable people by removing those with no right to be in the UK.

'The operation in Glasgow was conducted in relation to suspected immigration offences and the two Indian nationals complied with officers at all times.

'The UK Government continues to tackle illegal migration in all its forms and our New Plan for Immigration will speed up the removal of those who have entered the UK illegally.'

If only we had a body of people in this country whose job it is to uphold the law! Instead, we have cowards in blue: 

A Police Scotland statement said Superintendent Mark Sutherland had decided to release the detained men 'in order to protect the safety, public health and wellbeing of those involved in the detention and subsequent protest'.

We'll see more of this now. When they come for the van transporting murderers and rapists to court, what will you say then, Sutherland?