71 year old convicted of skating

[yorkie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7908376.stm

A couple of thoughts

1) the CCTV operator should get a life and clearly has nothing better to do, so should be made redundant. The money used to pay them should go toward fighting real criminals e.g. burglars.

2) if this was chavs causing a real menace to people they would have got away with it.

Chavs get away with assaults without anything ever done about it. I know, I see them happen, I report them, nothing happens. Yet someone doesn't actually do any harm and is fined £2k.

I think he's a bit unwise to do what he is doing, but it's over the top the way they deal with him while every day many chavs get away with far, far worse.

 

[5872]

I think this is old news, as we know how screwed up some parts of our country our. We know Chavs get away with most things... It just seems like a major cock up to me.

 

[me123]

Well, it looks dangerous to me. The speeds he's going at with all the obstacles and people; I'm surprised no one was injured.

As for the CCTV operator, they see something dangerous, they'll follow it. I've been in a CCTV control room, and frankly there's usually very little going on at any one time. As you can see, it was used as evidence so I fail to see why (s)he needs redundancy; as far as I'm concerned, they were doing their job.

The fine was excessive, though, I'll give you that. An official warning would probably have sufficed for a 71 year old man.

As for his "health suffering", why doesn't he pursue other exercise; there's plenty available.

 

[Donny Dave]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7908376.stm

A couple of thoughts

1) the CCTV operator should get a life and clearly has nothing better to do, so should be made redundant. The money used to pay them should go toward fighting real criminals e.g. burglars.

2) if this was chavs causing a real menace to people they would have got away with it.

Chavs get away with assaults without anything ever done about it. I know, I see them happen, I report them, nothing happens. Yet someone doesn't actually do any harm and is fined £2k.

I think he's a bit unwise to do what he is doing, but it's over the top the way they deal with him while every day many chavs get away with far, far worse.

Firstly, CCTV is there to get evidence of crimes being commited, and the operators are there to monitor the cameras. If they see anything, they then report it to the police. In this case, the CCTV operator did exactly what they are paid to do - gather evidence of a crime being commited.

Secondly, the fine was not £2000, it was £300 with costs added, although I agree that it was excessive.

Thirdly, you bitch and moan about the police, saying they never do anything, but when they are faced with a serious situation (such as the riots in Manchester last year), as soon as they do anything, you moan that they are too heavy handed, and should just leave it.

With all that in mind, why don't you apply to the police force for a job, or start your own private security firm. That way you can do something about crime instead of moaning about it all the time!

 

[yorkie]

...although I agree that it was excessive.

So why argue?

I'm not really arguing against the police, but our justice system of letting chavs get away with almost everything while persecuting people who pose very little - if any - danger to anyone. If you disagree with that then that's your choice!

I have a job thanks, but if you want to catch people who don't pose much risk to anyone and do nothing about chavs, why don't you take your own advice and apply

 

[theblackwatch]

I think he was right to be prosecuted - there does appear to be a generation of people who have a view "I am old, therefore I should be allowed to do things". You could argue that someone who drink-drives but doesn't have an accident doesn't cause any harm - but I wouldn't expect (or want) anyone who is caught to be let off - whether they are aged 21 or 71!

 

[yorkie]

I think he was right to be prosecuted - there does appear to be a generation of people who have a view "I am old, therefore I should be allowed to do things".

True, there is!

You could argue that someone who drink-drives but doesn't have an accident doesn't cause any harm - but I wouldn't expect (or want) anyone who is caught to be let off - whether they are aged 21 or 71!

Drink drivers are a massive danger to the public and should be very harshly treated IMO. And generally they are, but what bothers me is dangerous drivers who are not drunk often get away with it, there's some drivers I see that really should never have been let loose in the first place.

 

[Mintona]

I don't see why he should get away with it coz he's old. If he is a danger to himself and others, which quite clearly he is, then he needs to be brought down a peg or two.

 

[richa2002]

I don't think anyone's saying he should have got away with it. It's just the thought that if it was a gang of chavs, the perception is that the Police would do nothing.

 

[Spaceflower]

if this was chavs causing a real menace to people they would have got away with it.

I'm not really arguing against the police, but our justice system of letting chavs get away with almost everything while persecuting people who pose very little - if any - danger to anyone. If you disagree with that then that's your choice!

Oh I see, it's OK for an old bloke to do it but not a chav.
As for chavs getting a way with most things in my experience the opposite is true!That's how screwed up our country is.......................
As for the second comment.....I find that quite objectionable, even though I'm not a chav......

 

[ladysue]

As one of the older members on here I wish I could get around like that. Having said that I think his actions were provocative and silly. He should be old enough to know better.Still as they say "there's no fool like an old fool".

 

[whoshotjimmi]

For crying out loud.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of common sense knocking about here. Whether dangerous skating is a crime or not is irrelevant. Clearly what should have happened was he should have had a talking to and then let on his way - regardless of how old he is. Instead, what actually happened is that a bad tempered clown of a police officer has seen an opportunity to add to his statistics and therefore his bonus and blown it out of all proportion.

Let's reflect.

If you drive dangerously or anti socially, generally you tend to get a stern warning if your attitude is right. If you get caught doing it again, you have your car confiscated and have to pay to get it back after a certain time. I'm not saying he should have his skates confiscated but surely his 'crime' was generally very minor. Speeding is a crime. What do you get for that? £60 fine? It is absolutely ridiculous that so much time and effort is wasted on this kind of thing. It embarrasses me that people from other countries may see this sort of nonsense.

 

[jon0844]

I think he was right to be prosecuted - there does appear to be a generation of people who have a view "I am old, therefore I should be allowed to do things". You could argue that someone who drink-drives but doesn't have an accident doesn't cause any harm - but I wouldn't expect (or want) anyone who is caught to be let off - whether they are aged 21 or 71!

So, all of the nasty teenage scrotes that shoplift, knife each other and drive without a licence will automatically get the 'don't punish them, they're old' treatment when they get older? Don't criminals get old?

I bet there are plenty of nasty old people out there - so why assume they're harmless, frail, people that 'did their time in the war' to give this country the freedom it enjoys today (well, enjoyed yesterday).

In addition to hearing that tourists won't be given penalty fares the other day(as there's no point pursuing someone abroad), I've also heard some RPIs saying they wouldn't give a penalty fare to an OAP!

I got the impression he was being somewhat arrogant and protesting his rights to skate, so I am sure that with this in mind the punishment was quite fair. He hardly apologised for doing something that is quite obviously silly, watching the video. He may be the best skater in the world, but the people around him could be idiots and do unpredictable things. Sadly, he failed to acknowledge that it could be someone else that made him collide and cause a potentially serious injury.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

looking at the footage myself, yes he was going fast, but was everyone running out the way and screaming around? thats what usually happens if the public are in danger. If a car stormed down there, people would just walk on casually would they.

Most people didn't seem to look at him anyway as if he weren't there, he seemed to have his path set a few moves ahead at a time. If I see someone like that storming my way I keep on walking in a straight line, knowing that the person has a path ahead to avoid me, thus if I move, there would be a collision.

 

[GB]

How do we know that the old man didn't give the officers attitude when they stopped him?

Its one thing skating down the high street, its entirely another to be weaving in and out of pedestrians at that sort of speed, so good on the police for doing something about it.

I wonder how different people would feel if he knocked someone down causing serious injuries.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

How do we know that the old man didn't give the officers attitude when they stopped him?

Its one thing skating down the high street, its entirely another to be weaving in and out of pedestrians at that sort of speed, so good on the police for doing something about it.

I wonder how different people would feel if he knocked someone down causing serious injuries.

It is an old man.

On roller skates.

There are SO many better things to spend resources on. I would like to meet the poilice officer who dealt with this. I can imagine exactly what he is like.

I would like to explain my experience regarding this sort of matter but can't due to lots of Data Protection laws. All I will say is that it is a national disgrace that anything more than two minutes was wasted on this menace to society.

 

[me123]

It is an old man.

So if it was a 15 year old, it would have been OK? Come on, just because you're 71 years old doesn't mean that it's not dangerous.

Anyway, why not buy an MP3 player if you want to listen to music? Or is that too sensible? and skate somewhere else, like the coastal path mentioned on the BBC news.

Even better, why skate at all? There's plenty of ways to keep healthy, not just skating.

 

[Muppet]

Even better, why skate at all? There's plenty of ways to keep healthy, not just skating.

Because everyone has a hobbie/obbsession.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

So if it was a 15 year old, it would have been OK? Come on, just because you're 71 years old doesn't mean that it's not dangerous.

Anyway, why not buy an MP3 player if you want to listen to music? Or is that too sensible? and skate somewhere else, like the coastal path mentioned on the BBC news.

Even better, why skate at all? There's plenty of ways to keep healthy, not just skating.

My choice of sentence structure was to highlight my dismay at how ridiculous the entire thing is. It doesn't matter how old they are. I am merely stating my despondance. I would expect a bit of common sense from the 'force' whether he was 15 or 115.

Come on. Do you really think that skating warrants a court case?

It is embarrassing.

Just as an aside, why are you so against skating?! I have broken my wrist skating but still do it now and then!

 

[me123]

But my point is that there are other ways to keep healthy. His argument that the decision impacts on his health does not stand up. And, as has been said, he could go skating elsewhere in the town and not cause a nuisance, so why not?

 

[Spaceflower]

Because he is arrogant and should know better.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

But my point is that there are other ways to keep healthy. His argument that the decision impacts on his health does not stand up. And, as has been said, he could go skating elsewhere in the town and not cause a nuisance, so why not?

Meh. Who knows?! You are quite right that if he were asked to do his skating elsewhere he should heed the advice but I'm still against having skaters sent to court. I can't help but feel that he has been made an example of. Even an ASBO would be more appropriate. Not that I would have given him an ASBO either.

Aren't we all just a little bit arrogant William?!

 

[Spaceflower]

Imo this probably could've been dealt with by way of a fixed penalty notice, but if he has chose to go to court then he should pay costs not the taxpayer, should he not?

Out of interest, how would you have dealt with it whoshotjimmi?

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Imo this probably could've been dealt with by way of a fixed penalty notice, but if he has chose to go to court then he should pay costs not the taxpayer, should he not?

Out of interest, how would you have dealt with it whoshotjimmi?

Tripped him up!

No, seriously. Funnily enough, I have a bit of experience regarding this sort of thing. I can't explain why though as I will be violating a few laws myself!

In this situation, one has to venerate respectful authority i.e. make oneself appear to have power whilst using it with understanding. If he has been warned as to it before and chosen to ignore it, I would probably suspect that he either felt disrespected or is just a bit of a troublemaker. I will admit there appears to be a bit of both going on here. In the first sense, I would try again with a different approach. The idea is to get him to respect you. If you command his respect, he is more likely to heed the advice. I'm sure you know as well as I do that certain Police officers can be very disrespectful and abuse the power they are given. In the second case, a severe reprimand should suffice and then be follwed up as fitting. If he were to do it again, he could receive a caution (which constitues a criminal record), followed by an ASBO, followed by court action. I can't believe that it was so serious it needed to go to court.

 

[Spaceflower]

Would you have dealt with it in the same way if it were a 15 year old youth who wore Burberry clothing and tucked his trouser bottoms into his trainers?

 

[flymo]

I would expect a bit of common sense from the 'force' whether he was 15 or 115.

I would expect the same sort of common sense from a 71 year old. I guess that ship has sailed though. He is an idiot.

Come on. Do you really think that skating warrants a court case?

Yes, throw the book, in fact several books at him. He is an idiot.

It is embarrassing.

Couldn't agree more. He is an idiot.

 

[Spaceflower]

I would expect the same sort of common sense from a 71 year old. I guess that ship has sailed though. He is an idiot

Yes, throw the book, in fact several books at him. He is an idiot.

Couldn't agree more. He is an idiot.

I like it.

 

[90019]

Yes, throw the book, in fact several books at him. He is an idiot.

Throw the book, the bookshelf and then the whole library, brick by brick.

 

[MCR247]

Throw the book, the bookshelf and then the whole library, brick by brick.

lol