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UK News: sausage exonerates woman after knife OC

unrequited

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/03/crime?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

A woman accused of having a knife in public has walked free from court - saved by a sausage, lawyers said today.

Jane Bellas, 29, from Penrith, Cumbria, avoided a miscarriage of justice after being spotted handling the foodstuff, Carlisle crown court heard.

Bellas was arrested in her car near her home on January 31 after officers spotted her with a kitchen knife. Bellas protested her innocence, telling police officers she needed the knife for her job on a fast food stall in Penrith's market square.

But the local council was unable to confirm that she had a licence, and she was charged with having a knife in a public place without good reason. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)ploughed on with the prosecution, appointing solicitors and gathering evidence from the police.

But Tim Evans, a barrister in the case, told Carlisle Crown Court yesterday a sausage had saved the day. Council records showed food inspectors had earlier seen Bellas "tinkering with a generator while handling a sausage", Mr Evans said. This proved the defendant had a valid reason for carrying a knife in public: her occupation.

The Crown offered no evidence against her. Bellas was formally found not guilty and given £10 to cover her travelling expenses.

A spokesman said: "The CPS keeps all cases under continuous review. In this case, new evidence came to light that Jane Bellas had a valid reason for carrying a knife in a public place. We accepted that the knife was for use at her place of work. Therefore we offered no evidence."

...and you thought OC'ing a gun was bad here... this is where we could be headed if states like NJ/NY/Cali get their way.
 

Eagleeye

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hardly surprising having lived in that nuthouse for 10 years.

And some wonder why Uk papers read like Mad Magazine...I think they (the uk .gov) must use theonion.com or the book 1984 as a source of ideas....:uhoh:

I'll need to try to dig it up but there was also one instance in 03 if I remember correctly, where a Chef was sentenced to 6 months in prison for being in possession of his personal set of cooking knives (the set was in a custom fitted atache case & estimated to be worth 2500 GBP) while walking through Glasgow Central Train station on his way to work.

Well, all articles online about the instance I mentioned above appear to have been deleted.

But I did find this page that is a good laugh.

http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/yp/ypgcp05.htm
 

Bill Starks

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The Crown offered no evidence against her. Bellas was formally found not guilty and given £10 to cover her travelling expenses. The Crown offered no evidence against her. Bellas was formally found not guilty and given £10 to cover her travelling expenses.

Can you imagine the courts here doing that?
 

Thundar

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Having just returned from London I can tell you that thre are more cameras there than you could imagine. I was unarmed and felt very vulnerable.

That country is happly sprinting to PC hell.
 

MetalChris

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Thundar wrote:
Having just returned from London I can tell you that thre are more cameras there than you could imagine. I was unarmed and felt very vulnerable.

That country is happly sprinting to PC hell.

They're already there, my friend.
 
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