Talk About Getting Off On A Technicality

You won’t hear Dwayne Goff talking about the “spirit” of the law. The letter of the law will do just fine, thank you. See, he used to work in a hospital, for a company that disposed of, among other things, body parts. Using his cell phone, he took a picture of some toes, and made a video of a co-worker manipulating a leg. As reported in The West Australian:

Police alleged that during the footage of the leg, which was played to Magistrate Elizabeth Woods but not the rest of the court, Mr Goff was heard to say “It’s a f…… knee-cap. Meaty”. Mr Goff claims he said “a bit of meat”, not “meaty”.

The charges? Interfering with and making indignant comments about human remains. The charges seem pretty solid, right? Nope. Goff’s lawyer argued that the law deals with a “dead human body or human remains.” Since the toes and leg were most likely amputated from a live body, argued the lawyer, the statute doesn’t apply. Did the judge agree? He did, saying that the law must be construed strictly, else it could be applied to donated blood, sewage, or a baby’s tooth. Me thinks that’s a bit of stretch, Meaty, though I do agree with the judge.

Why would Mr. Goff, whose employer said he was a good worker, do this? He wanted the photo and footage as “memorabilia,” and to see if his friends could stomach what he does. Crikey! You can read more here.