Saturday 21st April- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…

Apologies for the lateness of this article… Yesterday was Moving Back To University day, you see, and due to my having spent most nights this week in the pub enjoying the sun, this involved doing all my packing (and believe me there was a lot of it), as well as the obligatory mass Tesco’s trip, as well as the two hour drive back. Oh and then there was the obligatory Let’s Celebrate Our Being Back Bar Trip. Anyway, all in all this left little time for Patching. However, dedicated as I am, an Amy Article will be completed, even if a Day Late. Why aren’t you glad?Aah, see you are. You wouldn’t have clicked there if you weren’t! But enough of the frivolities, for unfortunately my article is another Rant. And once again we return to the system of “Justice” in our country.I had to give my first police statement yesterday. A turning point in my life. But it wasn’t because of something I’d done, nor a hideous crime that I’d witness; no murders, nor insider knowledge about some Drug Scandal. No, instead it was about an incident of ABH that happened to my friend in Decemeber. An offence which was witnessed by two police officers. An incident to which the offender has already pleaded guilty.

So usually in such a situation, no such statements would be needed. The offender would be charged, rapped on the knuckles, and sent on their way. However, after speaking to a soliciter, the Offender has decided that he must have been drunk when he gave his statement, and thus this would have been why he pleaded guilty. Never mind that the police breathilise people in such situations. So now, four months later, his plea has been changed to ‘not guilty’, and the case is being held up for review by the Crown Court on Monday.

However, a case of ABH in which the lasting effects include a slight scarring under the victim’s eye, and his hand being a sling for a few weeks does not really warrant the attention of the crown court. They deal in murders and rapes, not punches and blows. And if, on Monday, they decide that the case isn’t big enough to hold up in the Crown, that could be it. Unless, somehow, the case can be pushed through the Magistrate’s Court then someone who committed a completely unprovoked attack will walk away completely free. Let’s not forget, this is despite the fact that two police officers witnessed the incident, as did another of our friend’s, and the offender’s previous plea of ‘guilty.’ Moreover, for the past week the police have been collecting all the witness statements they can in order to present a viable case to the court, all of which could prove to be time wasted.

I mean, what offender isn’t going to try and push a case through the Crown Court, when it is likely to be thrown out, if given the opportunity? “No, no, take it to somewhere lower down, I don’t mind being fined and given community service…” I don’t think so. It just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. It certainly doesn’t provide comfort; I’d like to think that justice would be served if I was to be violated in any shape or form. Apparently this is not the case.

And then we wonder why there’s so much violence on our streets today.

(I’ll update on the decision of the court when I hear it. For now, I remain bitter about the whole situation)

However, enough with the moaning. Now for the ‘good’ part of this entry: The Great Facebook Race

Now, I know what you’re thinking- how can anything good come from a website that causes so much evil. But this group has managed it. Starting life as a race between girls and boys to see whose group could reach 50,000, and later 100,000 members first (the girls won both times, naturally), the creaters decided to come up with a bigger and better challenge. The new aim of these groups? See which team- girls or boys- can raise £10,000 for the charities ‘Refuge’ and ‘Cancer Research UK’ first. The minimum donation to either charity (as dictated by the website, as opposed to the group creaters) is £2, and you can give to the cause without even being a member of Facebook. So not only do you help to prove the superiority of your gender, but you’re helping to save the world while doing so! Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but you will be doing a lot of good.

For those of you who haven’t yet joined up, these are the links:

Girls’ Facebook Group
Girls’ Refuge Donation Page
Girls’ Cancer Resarch Donation Page
Boys’ Facebook Group
Boys’ Cancer Resarch Donation Page

Happy giving!

Anyway, one final note, as I’d hate to disappoint my fans by suggesting there was something ‘ugly’ in this entry and then not delivering. So, courtesy of Google Images, here you go:

Lovely, isn’t he…

(OK, a lot of you seem to be getting here via the photo… which isn’t ours: all credit for it goes to http://www.midwestrocklobster.com