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- Aug 10, 2005
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- 11,990
that was quite fowl! :lol:rynner said:..and if they were on drugs at the time, that would mean cold turkey!Ronson8 said:Bet they'll do some bird if the police catch up with em!
Strange Crimes
- Thread starter ogopogo3
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2001
- Messages
- 5,823
They'll have to join the pecking order in jail!
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 11,990
And watch out that they don't get goosed.Ronson8 said:
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2001
- Messages
- 5,823
This is getting silly, I'll have to take flight!
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2001
- Messages
- 5,823
Kings cross!rynner said:
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
i don't think that's the kind of stuffing they were hoping for :shock:
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
FBI revives mystery of the skydiving hijacker
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:20am GMT 03/01/2008
One of the most perplexing crimes of American history - in which an unassuming airline passenger hijacked a plane in 1971 and skydived out of the aircraft with $200,000 in ransom money - has been revived by the FBI.
The bureau has, for the first time, released pictures and information from the case on its website (www.fbi.gov) in the hope of resolving the identity and the fate of the parachuting passenger known as Dan Cooper.
On Nov 24, 1971, a man in his mid-40s bought a ticket in the name of D B Cooper for a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle. After take-off, he handed a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb in his suitcase.
In Seattle, he exchanged all 36 passengers for the ransom money and four parachutes, but kept several crew members on board as he ordered the plane to take off for Mexico City. Over a rural part of Washington state, "Cooper" jumped from the plane with a parachute. Dead or alive, he has never been seen since.
The D B Cooper mystery has led to decades of speculation, and inspired books, films and television shows including the 1981 film, The Pursuit of D B Cooper, starring Robert Duvall as the investigating police officer.
Hundreds of suspects have been questioned and several men claimed to be him until they were ruled out by DNA samples taken from a clip-on tie that "Cooper" removed before jumping.
Some of the money was found on the banks of Washington's Columbia river in 1980, but otherwise the trail has long since gone cold.
However, the case received new impetus when it was taken over six months ago by Larry Carr, an FBI special agent and confessed D B Cooper buff.
Unlike his predecessors, who thought the robber might be a paratrooper, Mr Carr believes "Cooper" was no expert skydiver and probably never managed to open his parachute. He hopes modern technology could locate "Cooper's" landing point.
http://tinyurl.com/2ou2t6
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:20am GMT 03/01/2008
One of the most perplexing crimes of American history - in which an unassuming airline passenger hijacked a plane in 1971 and skydived out of the aircraft with $200,000 in ransom money - has been revived by the FBI.
The bureau has, for the first time, released pictures and information from the case on its website (www.fbi.gov) in the hope of resolving the identity and the fate of the parachuting passenger known as Dan Cooper.
On Nov 24, 1971, a man in his mid-40s bought a ticket in the name of D B Cooper for a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle. After take-off, he handed a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb in his suitcase.
In Seattle, he exchanged all 36 passengers for the ransom money and four parachutes, but kept several crew members on board as he ordered the plane to take off for Mexico City. Over a rural part of Washington state, "Cooper" jumped from the plane with a parachute. Dead or alive, he has never been seen since.
The D B Cooper mystery has led to decades of speculation, and inspired books, films and television shows including the 1981 film, The Pursuit of D B Cooper, starring Robert Duvall as the investigating police officer.
Hundreds of suspects have been questioned and several men claimed to be him until they were ruled out by DNA samples taken from a clip-on tie that "Cooper" removed before jumping.
Some of the money was found on the banks of Washington's Columbia river in 1980, but otherwise the trail has long since gone cold.
However, the case received new impetus when it was taken over six months ago by Larry Carr, an FBI special agent and confessed D B Cooper buff.
Unlike his predecessors, who thought the robber might be a paratrooper, Mr Carr believes "Cooper" was no expert skydiver and probably never managed to open his parachute. He hopes modern technology could locate "Cooper's" landing point.
http://tinyurl.com/2ou2t6
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
The crime itself is not so strange, but the criminal has a strange surprise coming...
Holidaymaker with some explaining to do on return
Sam Jones
Saturday January 5, 2008
The Guardian
Returning to England's bleak midwinter after a new year sojourn in the warmth of north Africa is a grey enough prospect on its own. For Richard Shackleton, though, the homecoming will be doubly difficult.
He will arrive back in Westhoughton, near Bolton, tomorrow to discover that not only has his pristine house burnt down, but also that the flames disclosed a sophisticated cannabis farm that has attracted the interest of Greater Manchester police.
It is thought that Shackleton, a joiner, knows nothing about the fire; his mobile phone is switched off and he and his girlfriend are in Morocco. According to neighbours, the couple had gone there for the new year to celebrate the end of their three-year project to renovate the £115,000 house.
The alarm was raised in the early hours of Thursday after a neighbour smelt smoke from the eaves of the house. By the time fire crews reached the building it was ablaze and most of its contents had been destroyed.
As firefighters picked their way through the debris they came across the remains of cannabis plants and heating and lighting equipment. They called in the police, who now think the fire was started after the electric system short-circuited.
"The first floor and the attic were dedicated to growing drugs," said Det Sgt David Kehoe. "It is very difficult to say how much was there but it appears it is on a commercial scale rather than for personal consumption." He confirmed that his officers would be speaking to Mr Shackleton in "due course".
Det Chief Insp George Fawcett, of Bolton CID, said: "This fire is a clear example of just how dangerous cannabis farms are and the damage they can cause. The electrical equipment used to run these farms is potentially lethal which is why it is vital that the public pass on any information they have about houses being used in this way."
Greater Manchester police uncovered more than 350 cannabis farms in 2007 - more than 30 of which were in Bolton.
One neighbour said of Shackleton: "You couldn't wish to meet a nicer bloke. He's gutted that house and he's made it really lovely.
"He's done all the upstairs and put beautiful new showers in. He's worked really, really hard ... everybody round here's just shocked."
She said she had learnt of the news while watching Teletext. "I couldn't believe it. His mum was round at the time. It was a shame because she's a lovely person and she didn't know ... we were talking to him about getting a wall in the garden between us but I don't think that will happen now."
Shackleton's mother, Elaine, said she was "shocked and somewhat confused" by the fire, but would not ruin her son's fun. "I just can't believe it," she said.
"But we're not going to tell him about it yet - we're going to let him finish his holiday."
[Isn't that nice!]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 18,00.html
Holidaymaker with some explaining to do on return
Sam Jones
Saturday January 5, 2008
The Guardian
Returning to England's bleak midwinter after a new year sojourn in the warmth of north Africa is a grey enough prospect on its own. For Richard Shackleton, though, the homecoming will be doubly difficult.
He will arrive back in Westhoughton, near Bolton, tomorrow to discover that not only has his pristine house burnt down, but also that the flames disclosed a sophisticated cannabis farm that has attracted the interest of Greater Manchester police.
It is thought that Shackleton, a joiner, knows nothing about the fire; his mobile phone is switched off and he and his girlfriend are in Morocco. According to neighbours, the couple had gone there for the new year to celebrate the end of their three-year project to renovate the £115,000 house.
The alarm was raised in the early hours of Thursday after a neighbour smelt smoke from the eaves of the house. By the time fire crews reached the building it was ablaze and most of its contents had been destroyed.
As firefighters picked their way through the debris they came across the remains of cannabis plants and heating and lighting equipment. They called in the police, who now think the fire was started after the electric system short-circuited.
"The first floor and the attic were dedicated to growing drugs," said Det Sgt David Kehoe. "It is very difficult to say how much was there but it appears it is on a commercial scale rather than for personal consumption." He confirmed that his officers would be speaking to Mr Shackleton in "due course".
Det Chief Insp George Fawcett, of Bolton CID, said: "This fire is a clear example of just how dangerous cannabis farms are and the damage they can cause. The electrical equipment used to run these farms is potentially lethal which is why it is vital that the public pass on any information they have about houses being used in this way."
Greater Manchester police uncovered more than 350 cannabis farms in 2007 - more than 30 of which were in Bolton.
One neighbour said of Shackleton: "You couldn't wish to meet a nicer bloke. He's gutted that house and he's made it really lovely.
"He's done all the upstairs and put beautiful new showers in. He's worked really, really hard ... everybody round here's just shocked."
She said she had learnt of the news while watching Teletext. "I couldn't believe it. His mum was round at the time. It was a shame because she's a lovely person and she didn't know ... we were talking to him about getting a wall in the garden between us but I don't think that will happen now."
Shackleton's mother, Elaine, said she was "shocked and somewhat confused" by the fire, but would not ruin her son's fun. "I just can't believe it," she said.
"But we're not going to tell him about it yet - we're going to let him finish his holiday."
[Isn't that nice!]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 18,00.html
- Joined
- May 23, 2003
- Messages
- 4,580
Dentist 'claimed she was talking to patient's dead mother during treatment'
A former lawyer told how she was 'absolutely appalled' when her 400 an hour dentist claimed she was talking to her dead mother during a treatment session.
Catherine Crowe left the 55-year-old woman 'reeling' in shock after she declared that the spirit of the parent who died 15 years before was in the room wanting to help her.
The patient, known only as Mrs A, told the General Dental Council she thought Crowe's techniques were 'completely wacko'. Crowe shocked Mrs A by suggesting they could call up the spirits of other dead relatives to help her in future sessions, it is claimed.
She allegedly even told Mrs A, a practising Christian, they could summon Jesus because 'we need as much wisdom as possible'. Mrs A had gone to see the respected dentist at her clinic in Southampton, Hants, to help cure chronic jaw pain and problems with her crowns after suffering years of discomfort.
Crowe, who described herself as a pioneer in her field, told desperate Mrs A she would receive 'cutting edge' treatment to help cure her dental nightmare, the hearing heard.
But the holistic dentist carried out a range of ineffective alternative therapies to help Mrs A with abdominal problems that ended up costing her 12,000. Crowe had ordered Mrs A to take chlorella, a green algae remedy, after claiming she was 'very toxic' because there was mercury stored in most of her major internal organs.
Mrs A had complied with her demands but ended up suffering from even worse stomach pain and severe bloating because of the side effects of the herbal substance.
On another occasion Crowe, 34, from Southampton, charged her 600 after she had spent 20 minutes quizzing married Mrs A about her sex life while pressing down on her abdomen.
Crowe claimed she was performing 'a massive release' that could help cure Mrs A's stomach problems but the patient said the pain remained exactly the same.
The dentist is accused of serious professional misconduct over her seven month treatment of Mrs A at the Cavendish Dental and Health Practice in Cavendish Square, central London and also Rookswood Dental Practice, Shirley Avenue, Southampton between September 2003 and March 2004.
She denies aspects of her treatment of Mrs A were inappropriate, irresponsible and not the patients best interests.
The hearing was told Crowe was not qualified to carry out psychotherapeutic techniques used on Mrs A.
Crowe also was not properly qualified or experienced to investigate Mrs A's abdominal pain and carried out that treatment without her informed consent, it is claimed.
She could face being struck off or suspended from the dental register if the charge is proved.
Mrs A described how she felt 'very strange' after being told to fill out a family tree prior to the treatment session in March 2004 when Crowe claimed to contact her deceased mother.
Crowe promised Mrs A prior to the 'weird' session she would receive 'the ultimate gift of treatment' using what she called 'PK work'. 'She told me it was the highest form of her work,' said Mrs A. She explained that prior to starting the treatment Crowe had given her and a nurse assisting in the treatment a drink called 'SOS' which made her feel like she had drunk alcohol. Mrs A said: 'We then all stood up. I was made to stand with my back to the wall and Dr Crowe pinned my family tree behind my head. 'Then the nurse stood to my right holding on to my shoulder with her left hand and Dr Crowe stood on my left placing her right arm on my shoulder. 'With her right hand she had a little glass dish which she placed on my heart. 'What happened was she asked the question to what I thought was thin air. She said she was asking my body: 'Did my family have anything to do with my pain?' Mrs A said that Crowe pressed on the nurses arm which went down and she announced that meant her family were the cause of her pain.
The committee heard that Crowe then claimed that the problems were to do with Mrs A's mother's background.
Crowe finally concluded that her pain was the result of her mother's sense of rejection after her grandfather had walked out on the family following the 1929 stockmarket crash. Mrs A said: 'I thought this was completely wacko. I remember feeling that. She asked: Does that make any sense to you? I said no.' Mrs A continued: 'Suddenly she said out of the blue: 'Your mother was beautiful'. I said yes. My mother was a renowned beauty. I said how do you know that?' 'She said: 'Because she just told me. She is here now and she wants to help you'.' Mrs A told the hearing: 'My mother died in 1989. I was absolutely appalled. 'I said to her: 'I don't want anything to do with this. You know I am a Christian and in my faith we don't deal with anything like that. 'I am only happy dealing with the spirit world if Jesus is there.' 'She said: 'We can call on Jesus at the next session. We need as much wisdom as possible'.' Mrs A said that Crowe informed her: 'I have opened you up and you are going to feel quite raw for the next couple of days. But at the next session I will put you back together again.' The former patient said Crowe also told her: 'We may need to call back your mother again or other relatives.' Mrs A said: 'I presumed she meant my grandmother or other dead relatives.' She told the committee: 'I was appalled at myself that I had fallen into this. I did not see it coming.' Mrs A rang the practice afterwards to cancel a further session before writing to 'raise concerns she had been blatantly acting as a medium'. Crowe replied but seemed to 'make light' of her complaints, she said.
The hearing in central London is expected to last two weeks.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=507017&in_page_id=1770
Edit: Link size reduced. P_M
A former lawyer told how she was 'absolutely appalled' when her 400 an hour dentist claimed she was talking to her dead mother during a treatment session.
Catherine Crowe left the 55-year-old woman 'reeling' in shock after she declared that the spirit of the parent who died 15 years before was in the room wanting to help her.
The patient, known only as Mrs A, told the General Dental Council she thought Crowe's techniques were 'completely wacko'. Crowe shocked Mrs A by suggesting they could call up the spirits of other dead relatives to help her in future sessions, it is claimed.
She allegedly even told Mrs A, a practising Christian, they could summon Jesus because 'we need as much wisdom as possible'. Mrs A had gone to see the respected dentist at her clinic in Southampton, Hants, to help cure chronic jaw pain and problems with her crowns after suffering years of discomfort.
Crowe, who described herself as a pioneer in her field, told desperate Mrs A she would receive 'cutting edge' treatment to help cure her dental nightmare, the hearing heard.
But the holistic dentist carried out a range of ineffective alternative therapies to help Mrs A with abdominal problems that ended up costing her 12,000. Crowe had ordered Mrs A to take chlorella, a green algae remedy, after claiming she was 'very toxic' because there was mercury stored in most of her major internal organs.
Mrs A had complied with her demands but ended up suffering from even worse stomach pain and severe bloating because of the side effects of the herbal substance.
On another occasion Crowe, 34, from Southampton, charged her 600 after she had spent 20 minutes quizzing married Mrs A about her sex life while pressing down on her abdomen.
Crowe claimed she was performing 'a massive release' that could help cure Mrs A's stomach problems but the patient said the pain remained exactly the same.
The dentist is accused of serious professional misconduct over her seven month treatment of Mrs A at the Cavendish Dental and Health Practice in Cavendish Square, central London and also Rookswood Dental Practice, Shirley Avenue, Southampton between September 2003 and March 2004.
She denies aspects of her treatment of Mrs A were inappropriate, irresponsible and not the patients best interests.
The hearing was told Crowe was not qualified to carry out psychotherapeutic techniques used on Mrs A.
Crowe also was not properly qualified or experienced to investigate Mrs A's abdominal pain and carried out that treatment without her informed consent, it is claimed.
She could face being struck off or suspended from the dental register if the charge is proved.
Mrs A described how she felt 'very strange' after being told to fill out a family tree prior to the treatment session in March 2004 when Crowe claimed to contact her deceased mother.
Crowe promised Mrs A prior to the 'weird' session she would receive 'the ultimate gift of treatment' using what she called 'PK work'. 'She told me it was the highest form of her work,' said Mrs A. She explained that prior to starting the treatment Crowe had given her and a nurse assisting in the treatment a drink called 'SOS' which made her feel like she had drunk alcohol. Mrs A said: 'We then all stood up. I was made to stand with my back to the wall and Dr Crowe pinned my family tree behind my head. 'Then the nurse stood to my right holding on to my shoulder with her left hand and Dr Crowe stood on my left placing her right arm on my shoulder. 'With her right hand she had a little glass dish which she placed on my heart. 'What happened was she asked the question to what I thought was thin air. She said she was asking my body: 'Did my family have anything to do with my pain?' Mrs A said that Crowe pressed on the nurses arm which went down and she announced that meant her family were the cause of her pain.
The committee heard that Crowe then claimed that the problems were to do with Mrs A's mother's background.
Crowe finally concluded that her pain was the result of her mother's sense of rejection after her grandfather had walked out on the family following the 1929 stockmarket crash. Mrs A said: 'I thought this was completely wacko. I remember feeling that. She asked: Does that make any sense to you? I said no.' Mrs A continued: 'Suddenly she said out of the blue: 'Your mother was beautiful'. I said yes. My mother was a renowned beauty. I said how do you know that?' 'She said: 'Because she just told me. She is here now and she wants to help you'.' Mrs A told the hearing: 'My mother died in 1989. I was absolutely appalled. 'I said to her: 'I don't want anything to do with this. You know I am a Christian and in my faith we don't deal with anything like that. 'I am only happy dealing with the spirit world if Jesus is there.' 'She said: 'We can call on Jesus at the next session. We need as much wisdom as possible'.' Mrs A said that Crowe informed her: 'I have opened you up and you are going to feel quite raw for the next couple of days. But at the next session I will put you back together again.' The former patient said Crowe also told her: 'We may need to call back your mother again or other relatives.' Mrs A said: 'I presumed she meant my grandmother or other dead relatives.' She told the committee: 'I was appalled at myself that I had fallen into this. I did not see it coming.' Mrs A rang the practice afterwards to cancel a further session before writing to 'raise concerns she had been blatantly acting as a medium'. Crowe replied but seemed to 'make light' of her complaints, she said.
The hearing in central London is expected to last two weeks.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=507017&in_page_id=1770
Edit: Link size reduced. P_M
JamesWhitehead
Piffle Prospector
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2001
- Messages
- 14,220
Any relation to Catherine Crowe, the celebrated Victorian authoress of The Night Side of Dentures?
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
£1m card winner wanted by police
A judge has ordered the arrest of a £1m scratch card winning Cornwall woman after she went on holiday instead of giving evidence in court.
Chip shop worker Leah Sumray, 21, ignored a witness summons and went to the Canary islands instead of Truro Crown Court in Cornwall.
Miss Sumray, from St Ives, Cornwall, was ordered to be arrested when she returned from Fuerteventura.
Family members said Miss Sumray had been arrested at Bristol Airport.
Neither Devon and Cornwall police nor Avon and Somerset police were able to confirm she had been arrested.
Judge Christopher Elwen was told in court on Wednesday Miss Sumray had ignored a witness summons requiring her to appear this week to give evidence for the prosecution in the trial of a man on assault charges.
Det Con Martin Hearn told the judge: "I spoke to her in Fuerteventura on Monday and warned her that her failure to appear would be regarded as a contempt of court and make her liable to arrest."
Miss Sumray was working in the Dolphin Fish and Chip Bar in St Ives, earning £4.60 an hour, at the time of her big win in October last year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7180238.stm
A judge has ordered the arrest of a £1m scratch card winning Cornwall woman after she went on holiday instead of giving evidence in court.
Chip shop worker Leah Sumray, 21, ignored a witness summons and went to the Canary islands instead of Truro Crown Court in Cornwall.
Miss Sumray, from St Ives, Cornwall, was ordered to be arrested when she returned from Fuerteventura.
Family members said Miss Sumray had been arrested at Bristol Airport.
Neither Devon and Cornwall police nor Avon and Somerset police were able to confirm she had been arrested.
Judge Christopher Elwen was told in court on Wednesday Miss Sumray had ignored a witness summons requiring her to appear this week to give evidence for the prosecution in the trial of a man on assault charges.
Det Con Martin Hearn told the judge: "I spoke to her in Fuerteventura on Monday and warned her that her failure to appear would be regarded as a contempt of court and make her liable to arrest."
Miss Sumray was working in the Dolphin Fish and Chip Bar in St Ives, earning £4.60 an hour, at the time of her big win in October last year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7180238.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
She's been jailed!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7180238.stm
Meanwhile, in Poland...
Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system
By Graeme Baker
Last Updated: 2:48am GMT 11/01/2008
A teenage boy who hacked into a Polish tram system used it like "a giant train set", causing chaos and derailing four vehicles.
The 14-year-old, described by his teachers as a model pupil and an electronics "genius", adapted a television remote control so it could change track points in the city of Lodz.
Twelve people were injured in one derailment, and the boy is suspected of having been involved in several similar incidents.
The teenager, who was not named by police, told them he had changed the points for a prank.
A police statement said he had trespassed at tram depots in the city to gather information and the equipment needed to build the infra-red device.
"Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to jump the tracks," said the statement. A search at the boy's home turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.
Miroslaw Micor, a spokesman for Lodz police, said: "He studied the trams and the tracks for a long time and then built a device that looked like a TV remote control and used it to manoeuvre the trams and the tracks.
"He had converted the television control into a device capable of controlling all the junctions on the line and wrote in the pages of a school exercise book where the best junctions were to move trams around and what signals to change.
"He treated it like any other schoolboy might a giant train set, but it was lucky nobody was killed. Four trams were derailed, and others had to make emergency stops that left passengers hurt. He clearly did not think about the consequences of his actions."
The first sign of the chaos came on Tuesday afternoon, when a city tram driver tried to steer his vehicle to the right, but found himself helpless to stop it swerving to the left instead.
The rear wagon then swung off the rails and crashed into another passing tram, hurling screaming passengers to the floor.
Transport employees were reported as saying that they knew immediately that someone outside their staff had caused the accident.
The boy will face a special juvenile court on charges of endangering public safety, police said.
The incident is the latest in which "hackers" - many of them young computer experts - have broken into computer systems.
A 20-year-old was questioned in New Zealand last year suspected of writing programs for an internet "spyware" scam targeting several hundred thousand bank accounts.
In 1999, a group of hackers used home computers to break into the systems controlling Skynet, a British military satellite, and changed secure settings.
A report by the US Federal Aviation Administration this week raised concerns that a passenger aboard the new Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft might be able to hack into the aircraft's systems via its internet connection.
http://tinyurl.com/286anz
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7180238.stm
Meanwhile, in Poland...
Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system
By Graeme Baker
Last Updated: 2:48am GMT 11/01/2008
A teenage boy who hacked into a Polish tram system used it like "a giant train set", causing chaos and derailing four vehicles.
The 14-year-old, described by his teachers as a model pupil and an electronics "genius", adapted a television remote control so it could change track points in the city of Lodz.
Twelve people were injured in one derailment, and the boy is suspected of having been involved in several similar incidents.
The teenager, who was not named by police, told them he had changed the points for a prank.
A police statement said he had trespassed at tram depots in the city to gather information and the equipment needed to build the infra-red device.
"Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to jump the tracks," said the statement. A search at the boy's home turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.
Miroslaw Micor, a spokesman for Lodz police, said: "He studied the trams and the tracks for a long time and then built a device that looked like a TV remote control and used it to manoeuvre the trams and the tracks.
"He had converted the television control into a device capable of controlling all the junctions on the line and wrote in the pages of a school exercise book where the best junctions were to move trams around and what signals to change.
"He treated it like any other schoolboy might a giant train set, but it was lucky nobody was killed. Four trams were derailed, and others had to make emergency stops that left passengers hurt. He clearly did not think about the consequences of his actions."
The first sign of the chaos came on Tuesday afternoon, when a city tram driver tried to steer his vehicle to the right, but found himself helpless to stop it swerving to the left instead.
The rear wagon then swung off the rails and crashed into another passing tram, hurling screaming passengers to the floor.
Transport employees were reported as saying that they knew immediately that someone outside their staff had caused the accident.
The boy will face a special juvenile court on charges of endangering public safety, police said.
The incident is the latest in which "hackers" - many of them young computer experts - have broken into computer systems.
A 20-year-old was questioned in New Zealand last year suspected of writing programs for an internet "spyware" scam targeting several hundred thousand bank accounts.
In 1999, a group of hackers used home computers to break into the systems controlling Skynet, a British military satellite, and changed secure settings.
A report by the US Federal Aviation Administration this week raised concerns that a passenger aboard the new Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft might be able to hack into the aircraft's systems via its internet connection.
http://tinyurl.com/286anz
Timble2
Imaginary Person
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2003
- Messages
- 6,048
- Location
- In a Liminal Zone
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Stolen works of art found in loft
Five stolen paintings worth about £250,000 have been found by a pensioner in the loft of his Dunbartonshire flat.
The three paintings, by Robert Gemmell Hutchison and two by Sir James Guthrie, were stolen from a house in Cairndhu Gardens, Helensburgh, in April 2002.
At the time of the thefts the paintings were valued at £246,000.
Strathclyde Police are trying to establish how the artwork came to be in the loft in Helensburgh, and have appealed for information.
The paintings are The Pink Pinafore, Feeding the Seagulls and Cottarita by Robert Gemmell Hutchison and Luss Road and Candlelight by Sir James Guthrie.
The paintings were found by a 67-year-old man who lives in the property and were recovered by police on Thursday.
Det Sgt Martin Penny from Dumbarton CID said, "The investigation is at an early stage but it's important we establish how the paintings got into the loft.
"A number of years have passed since the original theft in 2002 but I would ask people to cast their minds back in the hope that they remember seeing something which at the time may have seemed a little suspicious."
Glasgow Boys
Robert Gemmell Hutchison, who was from Edinburgh and died in 1936, did his most important work in the late 19th century and specialised in painting children and Scottish landscapes.
One of his paintings, The Village Carnival, sold at auction for £110,000 in 2006.
Sir James Guthrie, who died in 1930, was one of the Glasgow Boys, a collection of influential artists and designers educated in the city who did most of their work around the turn of the last century.
A president of the Royal Scottish Academy, the Greenock-born artist's work features in several important collections including those of the Tate Modern and the National Galleries of Scotland.
Det Sgt penny urged anyone with information to call Strathclyde Police on 01389 822 059 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 185039.stm
Five stolen paintings worth about £250,000 have been found by a pensioner in the loft of his Dunbartonshire flat.
The three paintings, by Robert Gemmell Hutchison and two by Sir James Guthrie, were stolen from a house in Cairndhu Gardens, Helensburgh, in April 2002.
At the time of the thefts the paintings were valued at £246,000.
Strathclyde Police are trying to establish how the artwork came to be in the loft in Helensburgh, and have appealed for information.
The paintings are The Pink Pinafore, Feeding the Seagulls and Cottarita by Robert Gemmell Hutchison and Luss Road and Candlelight by Sir James Guthrie.
The paintings were found by a 67-year-old man who lives in the property and were recovered by police on Thursday.
Det Sgt Martin Penny from Dumbarton CID said, "The investigation is at an early stage but it's important we establish how the paintings got into the loft.
"A number of years have passed since the original theft in 2002 but I would ask people to cast their minds back in the hope that they remember seeing something which at the time may have seemed a little suspicious."
Glasgow Boys
Robert Gemmell Hutchison, who was from Edinburgh and died in 1936, did his most important work in the late 19th century and specialised in painting children and Scottish landscapes.
One of his paintings, The Village Carnival, sold at auction for £110,000 in 2006.
Sir James Guthrie, who died in 1930, was one of the Glasgow Boys, a collection of influential artists and designers educated in the city who did most of their work around the turn of the last century.
A president of the Royal Scottish Academy, the Greenock-born artist's work features in several important collections including those of the Tate Modern and the National Galleries of Scotland.
Det Sgt penny urged anyone with information to call Strathclyde Police on 01389 822 059 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 185039.stm
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- Aug 7, 2001
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- 54,631
Heard on radio today (but no online link yet):
There is a spate of tractor rustling going on in UK!
Tractors are stolen and married up with stolen documentation, and sold in eastern Europe or even Australia.
The trade is said to be more profitable (and safer) than drug smuggling, and is helped in that most tractors have universal starting keys!
There is a spate of tractor rustling going on in UK!
Tractors are stolen and married up with stolen documentation, and sold in eastern Europe or even Australia.
The trade is said to be more profitable (and safer) than drug smuggling, and is helped in that most tractors have universal starting keys!
GNC
King-Sized Canary
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- Aug 25, 2001
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- 33,633
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080120/od ... istoffbeat
120 km?!!! Was he drunk? Didn't he notice the cars headed towards him and wonder?
120 km?!!! Was he drunk? Didn't he notice the cars headed towards him and wonder?
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Diamonds? Gold? Old hat! Tractors are the thief’s holy grail
Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
Tractors are the latest target in Britain for an international criminal gang making millions from stealing top-of-the-range models which are smuggled abroad.
The thefts are planned and carried out so meticulously that investigators believe they could be dealing with former Irish paramilitaries.
Hundreds of tractors are being stolen in an extraordinary crimewave that is worth £3 million a year and affects most counties in rural Britain. It is being investigated by police forces nationwide, working with the National Plant and Equipment Register in Operation Mermaid.
Stolen tractors, diggers, trailers and quad bikes are being transported openly and shipped overseas as far as Australia. The criminals have even managed on occasions to steal equipment that was seized and held by police.
They are particular about their pickings, and have a penchant for the distinctive green and yellow tractors of the John Deere brand. John Deere tractors usually cost between £63,700 and £75,000, and even second-hand models can be sold for up to £50,000. Some top-of-the-range tractors cost more than £100,000.
Another favourite is a machine known as a telescopic handler, similar in function to a forklift, which, if bought new, costs between £70,000 and £80,000. Quad bikes are also popular and vary in value from £2,000 to £5,000, while trailers are sold from £1,500 to £2,000.
Other manufacturers affected include New Holland, Case, Massey Ferguson, JCB, Caterpillar and Daewoo.Criminals have routinely been stealing two vehicles in a night from farms or dealerships. Then, within a few days, they break into a different dealership and steal identification documents and the black box, an electronic vehicle management system, from similar but unsold tractors.
Tim Purbrick, a manager at Equipment Register, said that the gangs removed the ID plates from the stolen tractors and replaced them with new plates obtained from the dealerships.
He said: “This effectively gives them a clean tractor which no-one has reported stolen or missing. They are therefore able to export the vehicles as far as Poland, other parts of Eastern Europe and Australia.
“These are sophisticated thefts by portfolio criminals. We think the gang has previously been involved in Irish terrorist operations, and that they have morphed the skills from terrorism to other serious criminal activity. They use counter-surveillance techniques, are forensically aware and have very good international criminal contacts. They have even stolen seized equipment back from the police, which shows how forward they are.”
Mr Purbrick said he was concerned that the failure to include plant theft in police targets issued by the Home Office may be fuelling the scam.
He said: “From the criminal perspective, there is a low-risk, high- reward balance in this activity. Drug smuggling is high risk, but the chances of being caught stealing a tractor are low, and stealing tractors is more lucrative.”
He said that in one case a John Deere 6920 tractor and a telescopic handler, worth a total of £115,000, were stolen from a farm in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. New ID numbers and black boxes from similar models were stolen from a dealership. The IDs were changed and the vehicles were transported to Humberside and then shipped to Rotterdam and Sydney. The proceeds were split between criminals in Britain and Australia who, Mr Purbrick suggested, would have made more than £50,000 each from the crime.
The costs of the operation are relatively low. Mr Purbrick suggested that thieves would steal a tractor and a new ID for about £1,000, and that shipping it overseas would cost about £500. He is urging all equipment owners and their manufacturers to tighten security.
Tractors are relatively easy to steal because most ignition keys are standard and can start any vehicle. Mr Purbrick is calling on the industry to start issuing unique keys for plant equipment.
“It’s crazy that a machine worth five times more than my car has less security. I have keys in my pocket that can steal any tractor in the country. My Swiss Army knife can do it,” he said.
A spokesman for John Deere said that the company was aware of the thefts, and that the industry may have to look again at security issues.
Enforcement action under Operation Mermaid is reaping rewards. In one incident, a John Deere tractor worth £42,000 was stolen from a farm in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. A week later, a driver transporting the stolen vehicle on a low-loader stopped for a break at a service station on the M5, where the Equipment Register, with Gloucestershire Police, had set up a checkpoint.
Officers inspected the tractor and found that the serial number plates had been altered and that a false plate had been fixed to the vehicle. The tractor has since been returned to its owner and investigations into the criminal gang are continuing. Similar police checkpoints are now being established nationwide.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 221840.ece
Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
Tractors are the latest target in Britain for an international criminal gang making millions from stealing top-of-the-range models which are smuggled abroad.
The thefts are planned and carried out so meticulously that investigators believe they could be dealing with former Irish paramilitaries.
Hundreds of tractors are being stolen in an extraordinary crimewave that is worth £3 million a year and affects most counties in rural Britain. It is being investigated by police forces nationwide, working with the National Plant and Equipment Register in Operation Mermaid.
Stolen tractors, diggers, trailers and quad bikes are being transported openly and shipped overseas as far as Australia. The criminals have even managed on occasions to steal equipment that was seized and held by police.
They are particular about their pickings, and have a penchant for the distinctive green and yellow tractors of the John Deere brand. John Deere tractors usually cost between £63,700 and £75,000, and even second-hand models can be sold for up to £50,000. Some top-of-the-range tractors cost more than £100,000.
Another favourite is a machine known as a telescopic handler, similar in function to a forklift, which, if bought new, costs between £70,000 and £80,000. Quad bikes are also popular and vary in value from £2,000 to £5,000, while trailers are sold from £1,500 to £2,000.
Other manufacturers affected include New Holland, Case, Massey Ferguson, JCB, Caterpillar and Daewoo.Criminals have routinely been stealing two vehicles in a night from farms or dealerships. Then, within a few days, they break into a different dealership and steal identification documents and the black box, an electronic vehicle management system, from similar but unsold tractors.
Tim Purbrick, a manager at Equipment Register, said that the gangs removed the ID plates from the stolen tractors and replaced them with new plates obtained from the dealerships.
He said: “This effectively gives them a clean tractor which no-one has reported stolen or missing. They are therefore able to export the vehicles as far as Poland, other parts of Eastern Europe and Australia.
“These are sophisticated thefts by portfolio criminals. We think the gang has previously been involved in Irish terrorist operations, and that they have morphed the skills from terrorism to other serious criminal activity. They use counter-surveillance techniques, are forensically aware and have very good international criminal contacts. They have even stolen seized equipment back from the police, which shows how forward they are.”
Mr Purbrick said he was concerned that the failure to include plant theft in police targets issued by the Home Office may be fuelling the scam.
He said: “From the criminal perspective, there is a low-risk, high- reward balance in this activity. Drug smuggling is high risk, but the chances of being caught stealing a tractor are low, and stealing tractors is more lucrative.”
He said that in one case a John Deere 6920 tractor and a telescopic handler, worth a total of £115,000, were stolen from a farm in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. New ID numbers and black boxes from similar models were stolen from a dealership. The IDs were changed and the vehicles were transported to Humberside and then shipped to Rotterdam and Sydney. The proceeds were split between criminals in Britain and Australia who, Mr Purbrick suggested, would have made more than £50,000 each from the crime.
The costs of the operation are relatively low. Mr Purbrick suggested that thieves would steal a tractor and a new ID for about £1,000, and that shipping it overseas would cost about £500. He is urging all equipment owners and their manufacturers to tighten security.
Tractors are relatively easy to steal because most ignition keys are standard and can start any vehicle. Mr Purbrick is calling on the industry to start issuing unique keys for plant equipment.
“It’s crazy that a machine worth five times more than my car has less security. I have keys in my pocket that can steal any tractor in the country. My Swiss Army knife can do it,” he said.
A spokesman for John Deere said that the company was aware of the thefts, and that the industry may have to look again at security issues.
Enforcement action under Operation Mermaid is reaping rewards. In one incident, a John Deere tractor worth £42,000 was stolen from a farm in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. A week later, a driver transporting the stolen vehicle on a low-loader stopped for a break at a service station on the M5, where the Equipment Register, with Gloucestershire Police, had set up a checkpoint.
Officers inspected the tractor and found that the serial number plates had been altered and that a false plate had been fixed to the vehicle. The tractor has since been returned to its owner and investigations into the criminal gang are continuing. Similar police checkpoints are now being established nationwide.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 221840.ece
GNC
King-Sized Canary
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2001
- Messages
- 33,633
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zei ... 80,00.html
This is giving little people a bad name! Did they get the idea from Ocean's 12, incidentally?
This is giving little people a bad name! Did they get the idea from Ocean's 12, incidentally?
Last edited by a moderator:
GNC
King-Sized Canary
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2001
- Messages
- 33,633
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7237248.stm
Glad to hear it, these people who try to prove their superiority with an aggressive handshake are a menace. The hand-crushers are just as bad.
Glad to hear it, these people who try to prove their superiority with an aggressive handshake are a menace. The hand-crushers are just as bad.
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
The bit that really confuses me about this one, is where the singing comes into it :?
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 3814657.jp
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 3814657.jp
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Millionaire admits benefit fraud
A Northumberland property tycoon who owns houses worth more than £3m has admitted a £6,000 benefit fraud. :shock:
William Collard, 38, from Horsley, claimed income support after he was diagnosed with a sleeping disorder.
He said he had no income, capital or assets but a probe into his accounts revealed he owned residential and business properties worth £3,075,000.
He received a two-year conditional discharge after admitting benefit fraud at Newcastle Crown Court.
Previous denials
Collard applied for income support for himself, partner and two children, because he was suffering a medical condition, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome, the court heard.
By the time the fraud was uncovered, the company director had pocketed almost £6,000 between December 2003 and September 2004.
Collard had denied the charge at a string of appearances before magistrates but admitted to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain benefits when he appeared in crown court.
Judge David Hodson ordered him to pay the £2,000 costs, which his decision to take the case to the crown court had incurred.
'Out of hand'
He said: "You have at last had the good sense to admit this offence.
"This case has got completely and utterly out of hand. You have incurred further costs and there is absolutely no reason why you should not pay them."
Anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt said: "This is an excellent example of our success at tackling benefit fraud.
"We are taking a tough line on benefit fraudsters because they steal £20m a year in the North East - money that should be spent on those who really need it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7282041.stm
A Northumberland property tycoon who owns houses worth more than £3m has admitted a £6,000 benefit fraud. :shock:
William Collard, 38, from Horsley, claimed income support after he was diagnosed with a sleeping disorder.
He said he had no income, capital or assets but a probe into his accounts revealed he owned residential and business properties worth £3,075,000.
He received a two-year conditional discharge after admitting benefit fraud at Newcastle Crown Court.
Previous denials
Collard applied for income support for himself, partner and two children, because he was suffering a medical condition, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome, the court heard.
By the time the fraud was uncovered, the company director had pocketed almost £6,000 between December 2003 and September 2004.
Collard had denied the charge at a string of appearances before magistrates but admitted to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain benefits when he appeared in crown court.
Judge David Hodson ordered him to pay the £2,000 costs, which his decision to take the case to the crown court had incurred.
'Out of hand'
He said: "You have at last had the good sense to admit this offence.
"This case has got completely and utterly out of hand. You have incurred further costs and there is absolutely no reason why you should not pay them."
Anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt said: "This is an excellent example of our success at tackling benefit fraud.
"We are taking a tough line on benefit fraudsters because they steal £20m a year in the North East - money that should be spent on those who really need it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7282041.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Small Potatoes!
Buyer for Sainsbury's is arrested
A buyer for supermarket Sainsbury's has been arrested over claims he received illegal payments from a supplier, according to police.
Potato buyer John Maylam was questioned by City of London police after accusations he took cash from potato producer Greenvale.
The alleged payments are thought to be about £3m. :shock:
Greenvale won the Queen's Award for Innovation in 2006 and is one of the country's main potato suppliers.
It supplies about half of Sainsbury's potatoes and has packing operations in Shropshire, Cambridgeshire and in Berwickshire, Scotland.
A company spokesman said a number of staff had been suspended following an internal investigation and Sainsbury's had been informed.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said: "We can confirm that allegations have been made concerning certain payments and benefits by a supplier to an individual employed by us.
"We have the highest standards of corporate governance and following inquiries have passed our findings to the police for further investigation."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7299119.stm
Buyer for Sainsbury's is arrested
A buyer for supermarket Sainsbury's has been arrested over claims he received illegal payments from a supplier, according to police.
Potato buyer John Maylam was questioned by City of London police after accusations he took cash from potato producer Greenvale.
The alleged payments are thought to be about £3m. :shock:
Greenvale won the Queen's Award for Innovation in 2006 and is one of the country's main potato suppliers.
It supplies about half of Sainsbury's potatoes and has packing operations in Shropshire, Cambridgeshire and in Berwickshire, Scotland.
A company spokesman said a number of staff had been suspended following an internal investigation and Sainsbury's had been informed.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said: "We can confirm that allegations have been made concerning certain payments and benefits by a supplier to an individual employed by us.
"We have the highest standards of corporate governance and following inquiries have passed our findings to the police for further investigation."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7299119.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Room with a view spoilers punished in Sydney
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:29am GMT 24/03/2008
Officials have devised a brutally effective way of punishing Australian homeowners suspected of poisoning trees to improve their views - by putting shipping containers in front of their homes.
There is an "epidemic" of people wanting to open up their sea and harbour views to be dealt with, officials say, especially in Sydney where such vistas can add tens of thousands of pounds to a property's value.
Culprits have been drilling holes in the base of the trees at night and injecting herbicides or other poisons.
After residents were suspected of destroying a row of 20 trees blocking their sea view, officials from Port Stephens council put two huge shipping containers in front of the cliff-top homes.
Residents who claim they have nothing to do with the vandalism say the containers amount to unfair collective punishment.
But Mike Trigar, from the council, said: "We appreciate that position. But it's like if you can't find the perpetrator in school, so everybody is held back for detention."
Other councils have placed screens or banners across gaps - often bearing notices intended to shame those responsible, such as "this tree has been poisoned".
The maximum penalty for killing a tree is a £40,000 fine. There have, however, been few convictions.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... woz124.xml
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:29am GMT 24/03/2008
Officials have devised a brutally effective way of punishing Australian homeowners suspected of poisoning trees to improve their views - by putting shipping containers in front of their homes.
There is an "epidemic" of people wanting to open up their sea and harbour views to be dealt with, officials say, especially in Sydney where such vistas can add tens of thousands of pounds to a property's value.
Culprits have been drilling holes in the base of the trees at night and injecting herbicides or other poisons.
After residents were suspected of destroying a row of 20 trees blocking their sea view, officials from Port Stephens council put two huge shipping containers in front of the cliff-top homes.
Residents who claim they have nothing to do with the vandalism say the containers amount to unfair collective punishment.
But Mike Trigar, from the council, said: "We appreciate that position. But it's like if you can't find the perpetrator in school, so everybody is held back for detention."
Other councils have placed screens or banners across gaps - often bearing notices intended to shame those responsible, such as "this tree has been poisoned".
The maximum penalty for killing a tree is a £40,000 fine. There have, however, been few convictions.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... woz124.xml
Not so much a strange crime, per se, but a strange way to get caught at it ...
http://www.nbc30.com/news/15699308/detail.html
http://www.nbc30.com/news/15699308/detail.html
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2001
- Messages
- 592
Some people you REALLY don't want to see wearing a thong :nah: :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7314643.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7314643.stm
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 11,990
A nasty little freak show, out of a Hammer Horror flick, by way of Federico Fellini.
Convicted Molester Claims He Was A Victim of Bigfoot
posted 3:45 pm Wed March 26, 2008 - STAFFORD COUNTY, Va.
"A man who claims that he was molested by Bigfoot as a child was ordered to serve 20 years in prison yesterday for his own molestation-related activities.
Gene R. Morrill, 57, of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, had previously pleaded guilty in Stafford Circuit Court to 20 charges stemming from his efforts to solicit 13-year-old boys over the Internet.
According to the Freelance Star, Defense Attorney Terrence Patton cited Morrill's mental health issues in seeking leniency from Judge J. Howe Brown."
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0308/506664.html
posted 3:45 pm Wed March 26, 2008 - STAFFORD COUNTY, Va.
"A man who claims that he was molested by Bigfoot as a child was ordered to serve 20 years in prison yesterday for his own molestation-related activities.
Gene R. Morrill, 57, of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, had previously pleaded guilty in Stafford Circuit Court to 20 charges stemming from his efforts to solicit 13-year-old boys over the Internet.
According to the Freelance Star, Defense Attorney Terrence Patton cited Morrill's mental health issues in seeking leniency from Judge J. Howe Brown."
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0308/506664.html
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Man said 'wombat rape' led to accent change
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:21am GMT 28/03/2008
A New Zealand man who claimed he was raped by a wombat and that the experience left him speaking with an Australian accent has been found guilty of wasting police time.
Arthur Cradock, 48, from the South Island town of Motueka, called police last month to tell them he was being raped by the marsupial at his home and needed urgent assistance.
Cradock, an orchard worker, later called back to reassure the police operator that he was all right.
"I’ll retract the rape complaint from the wombat, because he’s pulled out. Apart from speaking Australian now, I’m pretty all right you know. I didn’t hurt my bum at all."
He pleaded guilty in Nelson District Court to using a phone for a fictitious purpose and was sentenced to 75 hours’ community work.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court that alcohol played a large role in Cradock’s life.
Judge Richard Russell said he was not sure what had motivated Cradock to make the extraordinary claim.
In sentencing Cradock, he warned him not to do it again.
Wombats are native to Australia and are not found in New Zealand. Although powerfully built and about the size of a small pig, they are very rarely dangerous. There are three species: the widely distributed common wombat and the much rarer southern and northern hairy-nosed wombats.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... bat127.xml
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:21am GMT 28/03/2008
A New Zealand man who claimed he was raped by a wombat and that the experience left him speaking with an Australian accent has been found guilty of wasting police time.
Arthur Cradock, 48, from the South Island town of Motueka, called police last month to tell them he was being raped by the marsupial at his home and needed urgent assistance.
Cradock, an orchard worker, later called back to reassure the police operator that he was all right.
"I’ll retract the rape complaint from the wombat, because he’s pulled out. Apart from speaking Australian now, I’m pretty all right you know. I didn’t hurt my bum at all."
He pleaded guilty in Nelson District Court to using a phone for a fictitious purpose and was sentenced to 75 hours’ community work.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court that alcohol played a large role in Cradock’s life.
Judge Richard Russell said he was not sure what had motivated Cradock to make the extraordinary claim.
In sentencing Cradock, he warned him not to do it again.
Wombats are native to Australia and are not found in New Zealand. Although powerfully built and about the size of a small pig, they are very rarely dangerous. There are three species: the widely distributed common wombat and the much rarer southern and northern hairy-nosed wombats.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... bat127.xml