SCANDAL OF THE £20K BANANA
Aug 20 2004
Fury over waste of cash on court case
By Jeremy Armstrong
A DRUNK was hauled through the courts at a cost of £20,000 - for eating a stolen BANANA.
And last night politicians and legal experts hit at the scandalous waste of time and money after 26-year-old Paul Fletcher was jailed for ONE DAY at Newcastle crown court.
Government adviser Lord Mackenzie said: "Common sense has gone out of the window."
THE case of the stolen banana was finally resolved yesterday at a cost of £20,000.
And almost everyone agreed it had been a complete waste of time and taxpayers' money.
It all started when Paul Fletcher, 26, admitted handling stolen goods by eating the banana nicked from an Indian takeaway by a friend.
But he refused to plead guilty to the burglary charge levelled against two pals who were with him and chose to go for trial by jury.
He finally walked free after five court appearances - two before magistrates and three at crown court. And last night the decision to prosecute him was slammed as potty.
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate, a former police superintendent and Government adviser on crime, said: "This is over the top. It's more of a prank than a serious burglary. It seems common sense has gone out of the window."
Fletcher's solicitor Paul Norman said his client offered to admit handling on his first appearance before magistrates but the CPS chose to continue with the burglary charge. Newcastle crown court was told one of Fletcher's friends helped himself to a bunch of bananas at the Royal Tandoori in South Shields on March 21.
He later threw one of them away - and Fletcher admitted picking it up and eating it. Fletcher, from Gateshead, was sentenced to ONE DAY in jail - but freed because he had waited most of the day for the case to be dealt with.
Judge Esmond Faulks told him: "One day is to mark the seriousness of handling a banana.
"That means your immediate release - and that means no more bananas."
Burglary charges against his friends were dropped after they admitted theft. Euro MP Martin Callanan said last night: "This case was a shocking waste of public money."
But a CPS spokeswoman said: "The defendants exercised their right to be tried by a jury."
Fletcher, an unemployed father of one, said: "It should never have gone this far. They even raided my house when they arrested me. I don't know what they expected to find - maybe the peel."
The £20k Banana
#1
Posted 20 August 2004 - 08:46 PM
NZ.org | BBPCG
Discord: The Astronomer#1314
Steam
#2
Posted 20 August 2004 - 09:17 PM
#4
Posted 21 August 2004 - 12:22 AM
#5
Posted 21 August 2004 - 01:37 AM
#7
Posted 21 August 2004 - 07:37 PM
It's really funny that anyone can cost the gov money, just cause someone wants a trial...
Run the country out of money if everyne does it!
#8
Posted 25 August 2004 - 01:51 PM
#9
Posted 25 August 2004 - 04:48 PM
Quotes
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
"In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine." -Erwin Rommel
Economic Left/Right: 10.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.56
#11
Posted 25 August 2004 - 10:48 PM
#12
Posted 12 December 2013 - 03:07 AM
I guess some people go bananas about money.
#13
Posted 12 December 2013 - 10:08 PM
I went bananas on that 9-year necropost
Administrator of CNCNZ.com and EVA Database, the C&C Wiki
You are also welcome to make use of my archives of official files:
#14
Posted 13 December 2013 - 02:59 AM
That shit is um...can't remember the word it has like repeating letters or something oh I know that shit is Cabana, right?
Edited by Radspakr, 13 December 2013 - 03:00 AM.
Break dancing into the hearts of millions
#15
Posted 13 December 2013 - 09:22 AM
That's so Meta.
And I got bored and saw this topic, and thought a banana joke was due. I
#17
Posted 13 December 2013 - 11:48 PM
Well no one else was talking about anything interesting. You only have yourselves to blame that the 20 K Banana beat you all.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users