Monday, September 26, 2005

Verily e'en I, right wing git extraordinaire feel there is something wrong about sending a pensioner to prison for not paying £53 of her council tax. I realise there is some kind of principal or message at stake and that an example is being made, but all the same. We let thieving gits off with cautions for stealing hundreds of pounds worth of goods from shops, and joyriding and burning out other peoples' cars. Yet we bang up someone who refuses to pay the proportion of her council tax rise that was in excess of inflation?

Earth calling UK magistrates... please lock up real criminals - and make this old lady do some community service helping out in her local church hall or something..

5 comments:

Stephan said...
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Stephan said...

I agree. In the article, it says:

"You may think you are a martyr but you are not," said the chairman [of the bench].

Oh dear. How very wrong. And this is actually the second case of an elderly person protesting in such a way: news post

Wreckferret said...

It's pretty harsh isn't it?

Like you said- in this case, of it being a pensioner and an "upstanding member of the community" couldn't they have done community service.

Punishment doesn't quite fit the crime in this specific instance does it?

Wreckferret said...

You see she's been released?

But thinks that whoever paid her outstanding debt did it for more sinister reasons than a misguided attempt to help her rather than her protest.

DeathOwl said...

Yeah seems a bit weird.

Still her council tax is only £683 for a 2 bed flat. Mine is £1250 for the same size dwelling. Damn ripoff London.