The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

I doubt there is. I fear it's going to be a permanent way of life.

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

My brother also has is own business fitting security shutters in the North West. Any requests for his number can be forwarded by PM!

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

Sorry, but I think a couple have missed the point here with one person seemingly exploiting their own personal dislike of me and being unable to contribute anything more worthwhile than a mere one sentence derisory "comment" to the otherwise adult discussion I was hoping to encourage. Sorry about that, but it's been very interesting to read the different takes offered by the rest of you and contrary to what I've been told is the popular belief of me, I do accept the opinions of others even if I might not always agree with them, so thanks anyway. However, on many things here I do agree with you. I'm a taxpaying parent too you know and not completely immoral but I also need to pick my children up, if and when they fall, no matter how they do. While I don't know Chris'es (CJC) own take on my story, he does seem to be the only one holding the same view of the current police state as me - you can't always believe what you read and hear.

I've already said that this wasn't a prank Sara, so I'm not entirely sure why you're pursuing your line that it is. A prank usually shows intent and malice aforethought which isn't clearly evident in this case. Also, for the police to convict someone of a crime, don't they have to show that a crime was being knowingly committed by the person in question in the first place and/or that the verdict is beyond reasonable doubt? Many do seem to believe my step daughter guilty without even properly reading my original post which refuted some of the claims in the story. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Has anyone seen "Twelve angry men"? We all class ourselves as intelligent people here, but if this were a jury then she's already been tried and convicted. For some of the parents here like Farmer G - if this were your own child here would you fight it like me, or just do nothing and let them take it even though they might be innocent? Many of our children will make mistakes at some point in their lives despite even the best upbringing, as did we, but I'd hesitate before starting to wildly throw the 'bad parenting' tag around as is too easily the case these days. I don't believe that a single parent here, or indeed anywhere else, can honestly ever say "Not my child" because that's something we can never guarantee.

As for my own 'insider knowledge', I admit I've had trouble more than once within the last few years but the main ones were;

A minor traffic offence I admittedly committed ten years ago which was trumped up by the notorious local PC into something much more than it was. Had he stuck to what actually happened, I'd have held my hands up guilty, but as for what he made it become, then no way. I went down the station and spoke to a sergeant, threatening to make an official complaint against the PC over the charge. He took me to a side room and effectively talked me out of it. A couple of days later, I was notified that all charges were dropped. Now, while I should have been happy, ultimately I had still committed an offence, but due to police "corruption", I got away with it. Good result for me? Yes. Good result for the taxpayer? Probably not.

Last summer, a very serious crime was committed against my ex-wife and attempted against my step daughter. While at their next door neighbours BBQ, a friend of their family kept asking to borrow my ex-wifes car to which she said no. Later that night, I received an urgent call from my stepdaughter, saying my ex had taken an overdose and was unconscious, on her way to hospital in an ambulance. I had the kids overnight so couldn't do anything but visited her the next day and she was so incoherent it was weird. The car then went missing while she was in hospital. I contacted the neighbours who got in touch with the friend, and he admitted he'd sold it. Over the next couple of days, between us we figured that he'd given my ex (and attempted to give my daughter) what was suspected to be a rohyponol/LSD combination (the doctors from the beginning were convinced she'd taken LSD), intending to knock them both out and raid the house (and who knows what else?) while they were unconscious. I made some 'serious' phonecalls to the thief (who it transpired had previous form known by the neighbours) plus a few to other people I know, and the car was returned, not by the police but by him out of very well founded fears for his own safety. However, since the police couldn't prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was him who'd administered the drug or whether it was him or his one of his accomplices who stole the car, all charges were eventually dropped. Now normal people don't generally carry date rape drugs with them "just in case..." or have criminal records, so I can only pity the poor girl that becomes his next victim. As for myself, I was later cautioned by the police for making threats to harm him plus intimidating/harrassing the neighbours who wanted a restraining order taken out against me.

So please forgive me for my lack of respect for our police and the judicial system. We're losing the war on terror abroad and losing the war on crime at home. We can spend billions of pounds and six years looking for Bin Laden while blowing the Hell out of a country thousands of miles away from home, but can't find the murderous bastards of poor little Rhys Jones in a small community on our own doorstep. For all our taxpayers billions, we don't seem actually in control of anything anymore. Hardcore criminals are literally getting away with murder while soft touch, ordinary citizens are being criminalised.

One final thing. Kidnapping is still a major crime, punishable by death in certain US states while carrying a life sentence here. If the police were so efficient (as they implied to the newspaper) when looking for my stepdaughter, how come it took them two hours and they still couldn't find her? She/they went home two hours later when the driver's mum called his mobile after only one police car and two PC's turned up. How long would it have taken for the police to check CCTV footage, get the full licence number from DVLA and go to the drivers address? Certainly not two hours in my opinion for such a serious crime. Despite the helicopter being scrambled and officers scattered throughout Worthing, which isn't even a particularly large town, they never found them and the 'criminals' just went home. It doesn't add up and this is just one of the reasons why it stinks. Good job it wasn't a real kidnap, wasn't it? Ironic that many of have criticised the Portuguese police over the terribly sad Maddy incident, while saying it wouldn't happen here, but my daughters case proves we can be just as inefficient at times.

Sorry for the rant and the length of this post, most of you know me by now!

Regards,

Robert

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *


Robert, maybe you need to rethink this. You posted a topic. People replied. Some agreed with you and some didn't.

I actually think our police do a fantastic job. It's those above them that are the problem. Insisting on quotas and putting the emphasis on 'non-crime' is a crime in itself.

Remember, the police reacted to the incident as they should have done. The witness may have misunderstood what was happening - but is that a crime?

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

I'm not sure where the government have got their conclusion that the country is getting safer - I think they may commenting on another country - certainly not this one!! Maybe they should get their head out of the clouds and watch the news a little more!

Kind regards
Steve

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *


When I was in the sixth form, we spent the morning at a local court.

One of the cases was for the mother of a pupil who hadn't been attending school on a regular basis.

Embarrassing is not the word!

We also sat in on a case where items for delivery by a catalogue company were being 'diverted'. There was a group of locals (who everyone knew) that you would never think of being involved in receiving stolen goods.

Best lesson we ever had!

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

This has been an interesting post. I really want to contribute, however I havent got time to plan a response that I think would do justice to my thoughts and opinions on this subject.

Re:The world's gone crazy * SERIOUS *

Having read all of these posts, it does seem to me that your step- daughter really does not deserve an ASBO for such trivial behaviour.

In a way I agree that a fine is in order, it has to be done. But an ASBO? Arent they given to people who abuse neighbours or put their cigarettes out on animals?

Kids are kids, they act stupid from time to time. Countless times have I seen teenagers fooling around in cars and haven't batted an eyelid. Fortunately it doesn't usually result in a SWAT team coming out to save the day.