Call me overly critical...

No doubt repeating a few points already made, but here goes:

@ Gordon Pryra:

He's not a "nasty little thie[f]" until a court's found him guilty, which as I understand it is not yet. He's innocent until the legal system finds him guilty.

<< If someone had posted that about me and my wife, the little scrote’s teeth would have had a visit from “Mr Lumphammer” >>

That sort of stupid attitude is exactly *why* we have problems when it comes to free speech here: the British seem to have lost all sense of restraint, and when faced with uncertainty all too often respond with mindless violence. Ridiculously out-of-proportion violence, too, just as in your case here. Just attacking the chap wouldn't be enough to satisfy your vigilante bloodlust: you wouldn't be happy with less than a lump hammer? Pathetic.

It wouldn't be so bad if you were a one-off, but sadly the same kind of mindset pervades this country at the moment: verbal insult, mild threat, or "lookin' at me funny, innit" has to be met with full-force brutality. Sure, yours were only words on a website - but am I supposed to believe you didn't mean them literally?

@ JonB

<< Besides, we all know what bastards the pigs can be, arresting someone is just an excuse to give them a kicking. >>

I won't try to repeat the discussion you've already had with Tim Donovan about your view of the police. It's enough to know that you're prepared to tar every officer in Britain with the brush of the bad apple(s) you've had experience with. So be it - I've had bad experiences with them, too, but I'm not prepared to do that. These're citizens of the UK. People. As with all groups of people, some of them are toe-rags, some of them are diamonds. Most of them are probably somewhere in between - just trying to do a job to the best of their ability. Is that a generalisation? Maybe - but bad experiences or no, I've no reason to assume anything different. And I'll tell you this: there is no way on this Earth I would *ever* do that job. No matter how well-paid it might be, or how much power it might offer me, it wouldn't be worth it. Spend my career being attacked and vilified - spat at and assaulted, even - by the people I joined to try to help? No thanks.

@ "He is lucky"

<< I'm surprised he wasnt shot in the head 7 times and then accused of being a terrorist, maybe the police over there have gone soft. >>

Oh, sure - cos that happens all the time, doesn't it? This is *exactly* what I meant about proportion. And before you accuse me of making light of a tragic and inexcusable cock-up, I'm not: but of all the police officers in Britain, tell me how many have shot someone seven times in the head?

@ "Wake up ! grow up! scary country"

<< ...when someone has whacked you on the head with a blunt instrument then stamped on your face with their boots having failed to mug you. >>

And the police said "can't help you" after that happened to you (I presume that did happen to you, since as a general example of an average incident it seems pretty extreme), and *you just left it at that*? C'mon, pull the other one. How did it *really* turn out?

@ Tim Donovan

Speaker of Common Sense, thank god. You're absolutely right: the truth is when all's said and done we don't know any of the details of the case. All we've got is what the Reg chooses to tell us - and from there it's just a case of lighting the Usual Suspects' blue touch papers and watching the show. And I'm not a frequent commenter but I'm a regular reader, and honestly, it's depressing how tabloid this place is getting. We've got the same range of extremists parroting the same material, from "hang-em-and-flog-em" through to "we're-living-in-1984"... I bet it's quite a game for the administrators and the writers: "let's see how flared up we can get them with this one". Like a bunch of clockwork toys: wind them up and watch them go.

I won't say there aren't any good points made in amongst all the flames and screeching. But it must be nice to live in some people's heads, where everything is so absolutely clear-cut that you can reach a firm judgement on a situation based purely on a short news article. It's just a shame that such simplicity in the real world only seems to cause problems, rather than solving them.

Wake up ! grow up! scary country

Having carefully read the article it would appear that the man was apologetic and sympathised with the "wronged" officer, and offering to put in a clear retraction.however EXACTLY what kind of officer is this that has to go all the way to a court to "nail his man" - bit easily traumatised for my liking, bit too "new man" as well - paternity leave ? what - that is more important than your job of maintaining law and order? these new coppers are total cardboard cut-outs pulling the law to favour themselves ALWAYS.

In the bad old days they'd give you a thick ear and be done with it. Hell I remember being threatened, bullied and beaten up in a police station in Bangor North Wales for no crime at all, and no apologies at all either, trust me on this one all you do gooders out there just you wait until you have an unsolicited run in with those pantomime fairies in their blue garb , incessant need for fancy blue lights and racy cars, they are just fucked up failed bullies that need the backing of the law to build them up again. you know the abused become the abusers etc....

Yeah let me rant on a bit more, do you know about the training they are given ? how to provoke situations to create an arrestable offence ? the psychological books they study and their interpretation's of different races and cultures according to their special studies materials? those of you with "friends" in the farce, go on - ask them - try them also on the profiling techniques they have already used on YOU their civvy "mate"

For those of you who are acquainted with the blue ones - GET A REALITY CHECK because you would certainly get arrested and securely convicted with your new views after that little exercise.

And the guy in court? no. I am NOT supporting him - but you really should understand that the UK is a damned unpleasant police state and best everybody stops making them out to be nice people, the sooner these filthy posterial cavities

get the message the sooner they will HAVE to change their racist, violent and bullying attitude, or their "sorry mate can't help you" approach when someone has whacked you on the head with a blunt instrument then stamped on your face with their boots having failed to mug you.

Paris - because like the blue blobbies she also got rogered in public - and deserved it.

Oldie but a goodie

"Before judging a man walk a mile in his boots."

Very good idea, as then you're a mile away from the plod and he's got no boots.

Mine's the really old and tatty one.