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Courtroom Antics & Trial Oddities

CarlosTheDJ said:
...everyone involved in this Huhne speeding ticket fiasco deserves everything they get, they're a bunch of bloody idiots who think they're above the law because of their job.
Ex-minister Chris Huhne ordered to pay £77,750 in legal costs

Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has been ordered to pay £77,750 in legal costs relating to his prosecution for passing speeding points to his ex-wife.
His ex-wife, economist Vicky Pryce, was ordered to pay £49,200 by Mr Justice Sweeney at Southwark Crown Court.

Huhne had been fighting the claim for more than £100,000 in legal costs following his conviction for perverting the course of justice in 2013.
Lawyers for the former couple had argued the sums were not reasonable.

The pair were both jailed for eight months in March 2013 after it emerged she had taken speeding points on his behalf a decade earlier, while they were married.
The former Lib Dem energy secretary admitted asking Pryce to take the points, and Pryce was convicted of having agreed to do so.

The order comes a week after barrister and part-time judge Constance Briscoe was jailed for 16 months after a jury found she had lied to police investigating the points scandal.
Briscoe also faces being barred from the judiciary after being found guilty of three counts of intending to pervert the course of justice.

Her trial heard she helped Pryce to reveal information about the points-swapping to newspapers after the couple split in 2010, then lied to police about her involvement.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27350050
 
rynner2 said:
I'm no longer fit enough for long country walks, but even back in my prime I was wary of fields with cattle in. There have been many instances of a herd of cows trampling people to death.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... d-air.html
Another one:

Staffordshire walker killed by stampeding cows, say police

A walker has been killed by a "stampeding" herd of cows on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, police have said.
Peter Jakeman, 62, from Cornwall, was fatally injured while walking at Upper Mayfield at 09:05 BST on Wednesday.

Staffordshire Police said Mr Jakeman died in hospital.
A spokesperson said his death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the Health and Safety Executive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-st ... e-27434484
 
Judge Accused Of Punching Defense Attorney Returns To The Bench

VIERA, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida judge accused of punching an assistant public defender during an altercation outside the courtroom has issued a public apology as he prepares to return to the bench after a leave of absence.

Florida Today (http://on.flatoday.com/1qqiUPI) reports that Brevard County Judge John C. Murphy wrote a letter of apology to the county's residents Sunday. He wrote that his actions on June 2 may have "tarnished the reputation of the entire judiciary."

Following the incident with Andrew Weinstock, Murphy took a paid leave of absence and received anger management counseling. He's expected to return to the bench Monday morning.

A court spokeswoman says Murphy will now handle civil cases. He'll work mainly in his chambers at the Titusville Courthouse unless there's a trial or hearing involving multiple parties.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/3 ... 44547.html
 
Sleeping Yankees fan mocked on TV files $10m lawsuit

A Yankees fan has filed a $10m (€7.36m) lawsuit against two ESPN announcers contending they mocked him when he was caught on television sleeping in his seat during a game at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Robert Rector admits he “napped” during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an “avalanche of disparaging words” against him. The suit says they used words like “fatty” and “stupid”.


Rector says he suffered “substantial injury” to his “character and reputation” and “mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity”.

The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court also names ESPN, Major League Baseball, and the Yankees as defendants. It contends Rector was the victim of an “unending verbal crusade”.

“These words, include but not limited to “stupor, fatty, unintelligent, stupid” knowing and intending the same to be heard and listened to by millions of people all over the world,” the suit says.

It says the teasing escalated after several media outlets reposted the video and included false statements that the plaintiff is “a confused disgusted and socially bankrupt individual”.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/slee ... 74835.html
 
Baby born at Birmingham Crown Court

A woman has given birth at Birmingham Crown Court.
The 25-year-old woman was there with a friend who was giving evidence in a trial.

She went into labour in the witness room on Tuesday and paramedics were called.
The baby was delivered by a member of staff in witness services before the newborn girl was taken into a waiting ambulance.

The mother initially refused to be seen by an all-male crew of paramedics which arrived at court at 14:45 BST, so a second ambulance with a female paramedic was called, which arrived at 15:08 BST.
Witnesses said the baby was born before the arrival of the second crew.
"I've never seen anything like that at a court before," said a witness.

He said: "We thought the baby should be named Judy after Judge Judy or maybe Elizabeth because it's the Queen Elizabeth law courts."

Another man said: "I saw two ambulances outside, which I thought was unusual, then I saw the baby being carried down the stairs by a paramedic."

Victim Support West Midlands tweeted its thanks to people who helped inside court.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said they were called at 14:40 BST on Tuesday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bi ... m-28322909
 
Judge 'falls asleep' during child rape case

A judge is being investigated after he was accused of falling asleep during a child rape trial.
A complaint was made against Recorder Philip Cattan on the first day of a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Barristers complained that the judge had fallen asleep as the first alleged victim was cross-examined. The trial was abandoned and must now start again.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said Mr Cattan could not comment while the matter was investigated.
A spokesman said the office was aware of the allegation and an investigation was under way.

Mr Cattan is a recorder - a barrister who spends between 15 and 30 days a year sitting as judge.
If he is found guilty of misconduct, any disciplinary action will be decided by the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice.

In the case Mr Cattan was presiding over, a man was on trial for raping a child and other sexual offences against children.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the case would be relisted as soon as possible, and that the complainants and other witnesses were being kept informed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28498362

I suppose when you've heard it all before, even child rape gets boring... :evil:
 
This one didn't even reach the courtroom:

Bear Grylls in Bear Blades knife name row

Lawyers representing a company linked to TV adventurer Bear Grylls have asked a knife manufacturer to change its name because it features the word "bear".
Bear Blades, based in Swanage, Dorset, said the law firm wants "bear" removed from its name, logo and website.

Owen Senior, who set up the firm in 2012, said he would bow to the demand as he did not have the "inclination or energy" to fight "faceless" lawyers.

Grylls said he would "look into this" after being contacted on Twitter.

Mr Senior said: "We're trying to build a small business - it's as much a hobby as it is a business - then someone completely faceless comes along and demands we change our name.
"He's [Grylls] meant to be chief scout and encourage outdoor activities. We'll now look to rebrand because we don't have the energy or inclination to fight it."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-28713420

'Grylls' seems to be an old name in Cornwall, often associated with lawyers. There's a Grylls monument in Helston named for one of them. I suggest that Bear Grylls should be entombed there - ASAP!
http://www.helstonhistory.co.uk/helston ... -monument/

Failing that, perhaps Mr Senior could rustle up some American and Canadian pro-hunting lawyers who might like to dispute Gryll's high-jacking of the name 'Bear'. :twisted:
 
There is - and has been for a long time - a Bear Archery who make Bear Bows and I'm pretty sure have sold knives and the like at some point in their history. It was founded by Fred Bear, subject of a rather average song by Ted Nugent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyNYzcXAPf4

This business of claiming some common word or surname as 'yours' and sending in lawyers needs putting a stop to - there were plenty of people called McDonald before McDonalds and I believe Windows were invented considerably before the advent of Microsoft. And there most certainly were bears - and various Bear products - before Bear Grylls, whoever he is.
 
Cochise said:
And there most certainly were bears - and various Bear products - before Bear Grylls, whoever he is.

He's that annoying upstart fellow who tries to impersonate Ray Mears.
:)
 
When I was a driving instructor I had a franchise with a school called 'Apple'.

Never had Steve Jobs or any Beatles hassling us!
 
There used to be a McDonald's in Glasgow which sold greetings cards. Probably still there, and probably better for you.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Cochise said:
And there most certainly were bears - and various Bear products - before Bear Grylls, whoever he is.

He's that annoying upstart fellow who tries to impersonate Ray Mears.
:)

Oh dear. I was never terribly interested in Ray Mears - seemed to me kind of a combination of a Blue Peter presenter and a Great White Hunter (or maybe an animal oriented James Burke) - an imitation Ray Mears sounds even worse.
 
Good News!

Bear Grylls firm poised to drop Bear Blades name legal threat

A knife manufacturer threatened with legal action by a company linked to TV adventurer Bear Grylls says it believes the case will be dropped.
Swanage-based Bear Blades was told by Bear Grylls Ventures to drop the word "bear" from its name and branding.

Following a Twitter campaign, which involved supporters posting photos of themselves in bear poses, Grylls tweeted: "You guys are good to go."
Company founder Owen Senior said he had not yet received official confirmation.

The tweet, sent late on Saturday, said: "You guys are good to go! Apologies again. Good luck and let us know if we can ever help you in your endeavours. BG."

Mr Senior, who set up Bear Blades in the Dorset town in 2012, initially said he would change the name as he did not have the "inclination or energy" to fight the action but after Grylls's tweet he said he was hopeful the issue had been resolved.
He said: "We had an email [from Bear Grylls Ventures] saying they were dealing with it, then, after the tweet, they said they were probably going to send us something official. We haven't had anything at all from the lawyers.

"When this happened, we had about seven knives in the workshop. We can't even take advantage of it. Each knife takes three to four weeks to make.
"We would normally expect 100 hits on the website a month, but yesterday we had 1,500. We normally get a couple of emails a week but this weekend we had 2,000 emails to deal with. The majority, two-thirds of them, were emails of support."

In the initial letter, seen by the Press Association, Carpmaels and Ransford said its client Bear Grylls Ventures was "very concerned" about Bear Blades' application to register its logo "Bear Blades. Steel. Strength. Utility".
The law firm said the logo was "very similar" to its client's "Bear" mark and would "create a likelihood of confusion among consumers".

Bear Grylls Ventures has not responded to requests for a comment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-28737337

Coincidentally, the scanner on my desk (not used for years now because of a minor fault) is called Bear Paw - the control buttons are arranged to look like a bear paw! Perhaps the lawyers should have a go at Mustek, the makers! :twisted:
 
Any attempt to copyright Bear as a unique identity is likely to face an awful lot of opposition from a pack of Tom-of-Finland types, rushing out of the woods to make him their [insert own choice of epithet] :shock:

edit: I think this is a sentence without a subject but I'll see if it still looks that way in the morning. :_pished:
 
Woman in jelly-wrestling contest cleared of biting opponent
Updated 8:34am Monday 18th August 2014
By Adrian Imms .

A WOMAN has been cleared of biting her female opponent during a jelly wrestling contest.
Natalie Tiller, 22, was accused of drawing blood with her teeth in a Brighton nightclub as the two tussled in a paddling pool of goo.

Her victim, Kimberley Holmes, claimed she was bitten on her upper arm after the incident in Wahoo nightclub in West Street on June 28 2013.

Miss Holmes’s brother, Gary Holmes, was watching the wrestling match.
He told Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday: “I said there’s a bottle of champagne up for grabs if you get into the jelly pool.
“I think it was a bit silly to be quite honest.”
He told how he jumped into the fray after seeing his sister’s head go underneath the jelly.

Miss Holmes said: “We decided to get into the pool and have a roll about just for a bit of fun and then it kind-of escalated.”
She alleged Miss Tiller bit her on her upper right arm, leaving a bite mark.

The court heard Miss Tiller sent Facebook messages and texts to Miss Holmes afterwards apologising. One read: “Can we talk please? X”
Another read: “I don’t know what to say. I am really sorry.”

Miss Tiller, of The Ridgway, Brighton, told the court she was apologising for something she was told she had done – but could not remember because she had been drinking.

Rachel Lancaster, defending Miss Tiller, suggested Miss Holmes reported the biting to the police four days after the event to get revenge because she suspected “something more” than a friendship was going on between her boyfriend and Miss Tiller.

Miss Tiller said: “I just thought it was going to be playful wrestling and a bit of fun. We were both as drunk as each other,” she added and said there was aggression from both of them.

Giving her verdict, lead magistrate Rosalind Buchan said accounts of how much alcohol was consumed differed considerably. She said magistrates could not be sure that the biting was deliberate and cleared the 22-year-old of assault by beating.

Speaking after the case, Miss Tiller told The Argus the case was stressful. Commenting on whether the case should have come to court, she said: “It has been annoying. People will laugh. It’s comical.”

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11415180 ... t/?ref=rss

Comical? Oh no no no...

Snigger!
 
Ah, West Street.

One street alone that gives the whole of Brighton & Hove a dodgy name.

:lol:
 
A woman who became obsessed with the television drama Breaking Bad has been cleared of trying to kill her mother by slipping deadly poison bought over the internet into her Diet Coke.

Kuntal Patel admitted buying poison from an anonymous US-based seller who she likened to “Walter White” – the murderous anti-hero of the US series – but said she threw away the highly toxic abrin before she could carry out her plot.

The online deal was uncovered by the FBI and sparked a huge police operation in London amid fears of a terrorist plot. But it emerged that Ms Patel had bought the toxin after claiming to have been bullied and beaten by her mother during a ferocious dispute over the man she wanted to marry.

After recovering encrypted messages between Ms Patel and the seller, the 37-year-old was accused of trying to kill her magistrate mother using “untraceable” toxin but a jury believed her claims that she bought it while considering suicide.

It was alleged that Ms Patel dreamed up a murder plot after becoming “addicted” to the American TV series Breaking Bad and watching an episode in which Walter White kills an enemy with ricin-laced tea. ...

- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/eu ... MP8nl.dpuf
 
I like the inclusion of Breaking Bad to showbiz-up the story. Much more interesting now, right?
 
gncxx said:
I like the inclusion of Breaking Bad to showbiz-up the story. Much more interesting now, right?
Not if, like me, you watch little TV, and know nothing about Breaking Bad! :twisted:
 
Man who went on Penzance shop rampage stands on his head in court
Last updated 10:50 Friday 17 October 2014.

A man who pulled hair out of a policewoman’s head and assaulted a staff worker in a Penzance health shop stood on his head for several minutes while he was in the dock at Truro Magistrates’ Court.
Because of the construction of the secured area, all that could be seen of him from the court room was his two legs upside down and his feet.
He said nothing, remaining in that position for some time, before then taking his seat.

His action was ignored by the court and the case proceeded, continuing until he sat down again of his own accord.

He was Bhupinder Singh Goraya, aged 44, of Coombe Park, Penzance, who had told the police he was a freeman of the land and did not follow English laws or the Sovereign.
He pleaded guilty to two offences of assault and one of criminal damage.

Alison May, for the CPS, said Goraya went into the Holland and Barrett shop about 3.15pm, followed by a woman who asked shop staff to lock the doors behind him to detain him because he had been causing trouble in a public house.
When Jak Hodgkins, a staff member, asked Goraya what was up, defendant said to him: “I’ll f****** do you”, swinging a bottle of oils he was holding at him and hitting him on the head with it.
He started throwing bottles from the shelves at the woman from the pub and one was smashed.

An off duty police officer, PC Liston, who was in the shop, told Goraya three times who she was and that he should calm down, but he continued to throw things around and wave his arms. She took him to the floor and restrained him, and while down, he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled it out, causing her extreme pain.
He then grabbed a silver chain she was wearing and broke it. He was shouting vile and abusive language all the time.

Goraya told the police when they arrived that he had got drunk at the Seven Stars pub. When he drank he got aggressive and “bolshie”. He described hitting Mr Hodgkins in the face as “a joyful thing to do”. He had a previous conviction and some cautions.

Goraya, who said he was a writer, had little to say for himself in court, and was given a year’s community order and told to do 180 hours of unpaid work.
He was also given a drink banning order for a year, made to pay £150 compensation to the police officer, £50 to Mr Hodgkins, £24.99 to the shop, and £145 costs and surcharge.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11 ... rt/?ref=mr
 
Lewd emails result in PA Supreme Court Judge Seamus McCaffery suspension

Seamus McCaffery, a 64-year-old Belfast-born judge on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, has been suspended from the bench after sending lewd pornogrpahy to fellow judges and friends.

The pictures allegedly included one picture of a woman in congress with a snake and another of a 100-year-old naked woman.

The court stated on Monday that McCaffery was suspended with pay on an interim basis and the Judicial Conduct Board will investigate whether to file formal charges.

The suspension came after Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille demanded his colleagues take action and appoint a special prosecutor. Castille attacked McCaffery in strikingly personal terms.

Castille wrote of McCaffery "In my two decades of experience on this court, no other justice...has done as much to bring the Supreme Court into disrepute. No other justice has failed to live up to the high ethical demands required of this court or has been the constant focus of ethical lapses to the degree of Justice McCaffery."

McCaffery was born in Belfast the second of seven children to Seamus and Rita Mccaffrey and came to the US aged five. He served as a police officer and a marine colonel before becoming a judge.

http://www.irishcentral.com/Lewd-emails ... nsion.html

The pictures allegedly included one picture of a woman in congress with a snake

Plenty of snakes in Congress, which one?
 
High Court judge baffled by cricket scoring

A High Court judge presiding over a planning battle involving a cricket ground demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the sport by asking: "What are sixes and fours?" :shock:

Mrs Justice Beverley Lang was hearing a challenge to a plan to extend a former forge beside a Hampshire cricket pitch.
She asked the question when she was told that balls crossed the boundary line at East Meon's cricket ground.
A lawyer at the hearing explained the rules of the game to the baffled judge.

East Meon Forge and Cricket Ground Protection Association is challenging East Hampshire District Council's decision to grant planning permission for an extension with a residential first floor over the single-storey former blacksmith's workshop.

Robert Fookes, appearing for the association, told Mrs Justice Lang that one of the grounds of objection to the development was that the forge was very close to the cricket square and "sixes and fours are frequently hit by batsmen on to forge land, including the roof of the building itself".
The judge said: "I don't play cricket - what does that mean?"

Mr Fookes explained that sixes are scored in cricket when the ball is hit over the boundary without hitting the ground, while fours "bounced along the ground" before crossing the boundary line.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29742797

Wimmin! Shouldn't High Court judges have a basic understanding of English culture? :twisted:

(I bet she doesn't know who the Beatles were, either!)
 
rynner2 said:
(I bet she doesn't know who the Beatles were, either!)[/i]
"I believe they are a popular beat combo, m'lud."
 
The Law Society has apologised in the High Court to a Kerry carpenter over an article which incorrectly stated that he had been certified insane.

The apology was read out in court as part of James Bailey’s settlement of his action for defamation over the publication of the article in the Law Society Gazette in November 2006. ...

The article in the Law Society Gazette referred to Circuit Court proceedings in 2005, in which Mr Bailey had taken a case in an effort to obtain access to his own medical records.

The article about Mr Bailey’s case was titled ‘The shrink, the chippy, his wife and her doctor’ and it was claimed it also contained sub-headings of movie titles which concerned characters with various types of mental health illness such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Mr Bailey claimed the entire article meant he had been certified a lunatic.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/la ... 98967.html
 
The judge who saved Xmas.

A judge who played Santa has saved Christmas for the children and the clowns. Judge Jacqueline Linnane granted the famed Fossett Brothers Circus the protection of the circuit civil court from creditors.

Her decision to appoint Joseph Walsh, of Hughes Blake Accountants, as examiner to the circus company, means no group or single creditor can topple the big top over the Christmas period.

Barrister Ross Gorman said Fossett Brothers would now continue with its show at the Winter Funderland in the RDS. ...

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/ju ... 99603.html
 
APE SUIT MAN SUES NINTENDO - USA:

A man who says he suffered a serious heart condition after wearing a Donkey Kong ape costume at Los Angeles Zoo has sued game-maker Nintendo. Parker Mills launched the action in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to the Los Angeles Times.

His lawyer, Tyler Barnett, says Mr Mills was hired to play the ape character in May for the launch of a Nintendo 3DS game. Mr Mills claims he was denied breaks while talking to zoo guests and did not get a required ice pack to cool him.

Mr Mills suffered a tearing of his aortic walls and now has a permanent heart defibrillator fitted, his lawyers say.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/quir ... 00791.html
 
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