Legal Juice
So the government spent £650 ($1,365 US) on fingerprint analysis just to show that a 16-year-old had handled a stolen Cornetto ice cream. Yes, that’s “handled,” not “stolen.” What’s the punishment for handling stolen ice cream? A conditional discharge (meaning the Cornetto Kid just has to stay out of “trouble” for a little while.) Wow. That was worthwhile.
And what about the 15-year-old who was prosecuted for writing his name on a community center wall with a Twix bar? After he was arrested, processed, interviewed, and hired a lawyer, the case was dismissed after the court was told that it was indeed a chocolate bar the boy used, not a pen. “A Twix bar you say? They’re delicious. Case dismissed.” [Okay, it didn’t go exactly like that, but the case was dismissed.] You can read more (not much) here.