Is there NOTHING for which they won't fine you?

Over at the Daily Record, a remarkable story - a man is facing a criminal trial after he was "caught" blowing his nose behind the wheel of his car.

Michael Mancini was given a £60 fixed penalty notice after a policeman decided he was "not in control of his vehicle" when he wiped his nose with a tissue.

The policeman who handed out the ticket was [name and shame of the day] PC Stuart Gray - the same berk who issued a £50 fixed penalty to a man who accidentally dropped a £10 note in the street.

Mancini said that he had "made sure it was safe" to blow his nose before taking his hands off the wheel - he was in stationary traffic and had put his handbrake on when he committed the alleged offence in October last year. He refused to pay the fine and now faces a trial later this year.

 

As I've said elsewhere, British society is becoming so illiberal it's as if normal life is becoming unlawful.

 

By Alex Deane

Comments

[Cazzy Jones]

Stand up and take a bow, Rowan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones - your character Constable Savage from Not The Nine O'Clock News was not a work of satire, he was a prophet!

[LeChiffre]

"I noticed four police officers standing around near the Wallace Tower but I didn't think anything of it. Then one of them waved me over," said Michael Mancini. The police obviously have nothing better to do.

[Paul Dean]

Where can we donate?

In fact, can we give money to a non-profit which helps people stand up for themselves in cases like this? I'm sure a lot of us would donate to such a non-profit.

[Jess The Dog]

Details of the local police team and a photo of ‘RoboCop’ himself are at the following link:

http://www.strathclyde.police.uk/index.asp?docID=5784

Worth looking at the divisional public newsletter, page 5 “motoring offences” table. A 24.1% increase in detections for these offences. So Mr Mancini will be one of the statistics contributing to a future increase. Given the increase in knife detections (19.1%), the focus might be better employed here. Note also the difference between “crimes” and “detections”. Increase in the latter is the result of an increase in the former, but it is better spin to use the term “detections”.

If anyone is outraged enough, I recommend contacting the Strathclyde Police Authority rather than the police force itself.

“Strathclyde Police Authority is an independent organisation set up to ensure Strathclyde Police is accountable for the services it provides across the force area.

The Authority is made up of 34 locally elected councillors who represent the 12 constituent councils that make up Strathclyde.”

South Ayrshire has two members who are local councillors.

http://www.strathclydepoliceauthority.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=47:south-ayrshire&Itemid=54&layout=default

Councillor Peter Convery

Councillor Margaret Toner

Local people may want to raise this issue with the Community Council, who normally have an allocated officer from the local neighbourhood team.

[Jess The Dog]

Victory....case has been dropped by the fiscal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8539682.stm