So Amy Winehouse is accused of stealing cocaine from the handbag of Kate Moss. Where would you start if you were Old Bill? Theft? Possession? Bad hair? Breaking the law is sometimes harder to do than we might imagine.
The recent expenses scandal, espescially where MPs flipped mortgages hasnt fielded a single arrest. But pull your hanky out of your pocket and allow a Werthers Original wrapper to fall onto the floor and bango. £80 fine, or to show that the idiot lawmakers arent contravening the ageism laws, the equivalent to a weeks pension money.
I agree that if you overstay your welcome in a car park, or you drop a sofa off on a roundabout then yes a fine should be levied. But the word deliberate should be in the lexicon of the law-makers. If you litter, it should be deliberate. Even then, if the filth warden tells you that you have dropped something and you pick it up, then wheres the harm? But even if you do drop litter, (and there is a difference between dropping a lollystick and dumping a Creda twin tub), why not a fine that is in keeping with the offence? Say a tenner. A pensioner will still miss it, but their still going to be able to keep at least one bar on the fire.
Same for parking. If it costs £1 an hour and I am 10 minutes late, then reasonably the fine should be £1 plus costs. No more than a tenner. So why are parking fines generally £60 plus?
Of course, we know the answer. How else do Council leaders retire with pension pots similar to that of the 1970s predicted North Sea Oil revenue.
A few years ago my daughter was beaten by another girl in an unprovoked attack. The feral scum was fined £50, (my daughter still hasnt received it all despite several reminders to the court). So what this tells me is that assault is a lesser crime than poor timekeeping and being a bit late back to your car. Everyday we hear stories of maniacs in our high streets ruining the lives of their innocent victims. We also hear of the paltry sentances against them. A recent case involved a victim who lost his eye and consequentally his job and livlihood after an unprovoked attack. The sentance handed down to the braindead waste of flesh that attacked him was 6 weeks unpaid work and a £300 fine. So a blokes entire life is turned upside down and the cost is the equivalent to 5 parking tickets.
Bring back hanging? We should concentrate on bringing back justice first.
