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(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2169 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
All Rights Reserved. |
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I’d taken the girls to school done a little shopping and was on the way home when I saw a police car enter our drive, I got back as quickly as possible and rushed into the house.
“Wossgoin’ on?” I asked Jacquie.
“I don’t know, Mummy, they asked to see Auntie Stella.
“Where is she?”
“In the sitting room.”
“Have you offered tea or coffee?”
“Um, not yet.”
“Okay, boil the kettle, and then knock on the door and ask if anyone wants a drink.”
“Is that a good idea, Mummy?”
“It would be good to know what they wanted.”
I was standing in the entrance to the kitchen when the sitting room door opened. Stella emerged with the two coppers and all were smiling. She saw then off at the front door and then saw us watching.
“Tea?” I asked.
“Could murder a coffee,” she called back.
“Quick call the cops back,” I said nudging Jacquie.
“Very funny, Mummy; now what are you having?”
“You have to ask?”
“Tea, I s’pose, then.”
“Is the Pope a Muslim?” I replied as Stella walked over to us.
As Stella reached the kitchen, Jacquie came back to me and said, “The pope isn’t a Muslim, he’s catholic, isn’t he?”
“No, he’s hedging his bets.”
“He’s catholic, isn’t he?” she asked again.
“Who?” asked Stella.
“The pope.”
“Nah, he’s a Jesuit.”
“What’s that?” asked Jacquie.
“A Muslim, where’s my tea?”
Stella gave me a very old fashioned look, “Don’t tease her, it’s not fair.” The concept of kettles and pots came to mind but I let it pass. Stella went into the kitchen and obviously explained I was joking and Jacquie handed me a cup of coffee.
“I asked for tea, Jacquie.”
“That is tea, it’s what all the Muslim popes drink,” said Jacquie giving me a dose of my own medicine. I suppose I had asked for it.
We sat down and sipped our coffees. “What did the police want?” I asked my sister in law.
“They were just returning some finger print samples I gave ages ago.”
“When was that?”
“When Gareth died.”
“They took long enough, didn’t they?” was my observation.
“I’ll bet they don’t give mine back,” Jacquie said whistfully.
“They should, your conviction was quashed in the Appeal Court.” It was one of Jason’s greatest achievements, righting such a dreadful wrong.
“I’ll bet yours have been uploaded onto a computer somewhere, in case you do something like forget to take your library book back on time–and they don’t give parole for that,” I joked.
“Can we talk about something else, Mummy? Asked Jacquie.
“Of course, sorry, darling.” I blushed, I wasn’t usually that insensitive and assumed it was a bit of relief that they weren’t here for something more sinister.
“Why did they have your fingerprints for Gareth’s murder?”
“I lived there for a bit, remember?”
“Of course you did.” I’d momentarily forgotten she’d moved out, goodness that seemed years ago.
The phone rang and I answered it, “Hello, Jason.”
“Hi, Cathy, Swithinbank has been sectioned under the mental health act.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good for him, bad for us.”
“Why?”
“They’ll plead he’s either unfit to stand trial or he’ll plead guilty but...”
“Bonkers?” I offered, I was up with my legal terms.
“Diminished responsibility, but yeah, bonkers.”
“So he’ll get off?”
“More or less.”
“Perhaps I should have killed him and pleaded the same excuse.”
“I don’t think so, Cathy.”
“But I’m an aristocrat, I’m allowed to be barking.”
“Only by marriage.”
“So William is allowed to be bonkers but not Kate?”
“That’s pretty much how it is.”
“S’not fair,” I said doing my impression of a truculent Trish.
“That’s the monarchy for you, but before you go republican, remember that would mean no titles.”
“Like the French you mean?”
“More or less.”
“So I’ll just need to crown myself like Napoleon did.”
“What, he bashed his head did he?”
“No, he crowned himself emperor and seeing as he introduced the metric system, why don’t they call it imperial?”
“That would be pointless,” he retorted and I groaned.
“So what do we do next?”
“I suppose I could try and sue him for damage to your property where he broke the window with his head.”
“He still injured Danni and Daddy.”
“Yeah but if his counsel goes for diminished responsibility we’d be wasting our time.”
“That isn’t fair, he’s going to get off, isn’t he?”
“More or less.”
“How is it that the real bigots and criminals in this world always seem to walk away scot free and the innocents get sent down?”
“We have a legal system not a justice one.”
“I’ve heard that before somewhere.”
“It isn’t new, Cathy.”
“Pity.”
“The other guy, Curry or Hotpot or whatever his name was, he lost his job.”
“But they probably canonised him in that stupid little church he goes to.”
“Possibly.”
“I wonder if we’ve seen the last of those two?”
“Who knows, if they come to close let me know and I’ll get a restraining order.”
“I still can’t believe that anyone who calls himself a Christian could act like that.”
“Oh yes they can, usually worse, they’ve a long history of torture and killing people of different cultures, religions or even the same ones but with a slightly different system of worship.”
“Like the first crusade?”
“Yes, how d’you know about that, you’re an ecologist for God’s sake?”
“A reasonably well read one, Jason.” I’d read several books about the Albigensian campaign and how the then pope and the king of France had conspired to eliminate the Cathars and confiscate their lands. They murdered thousands of decent people on the basis that their beliefs were heretical. So much for Christianity being the religion of love.
“It’s all fascinating, Rennes le Chateau and all that stuff, Cathy.”
“Oh come off it, Jason, it’s all nonsense and you know it.”
“Have you never read the books?”
“Of course I have, but I was about twelve and I could see it was all a big con, you’re a good deal older and a lawyer.”
“Oh, Cathy, where’s your sense of adventure and romanticism?”
“It sort of took rather a bit of a bashing when a thug entered my house the other day and threatened my Dad and my daughter and seemingly got away with it.”
“Okay, point taken. I have to go, my next client has just arrived.”
“Okay, thanks for phoning, I’ll get Simon to arrange a kneecapping for him.”
“Cathy, remember GCHQ and the NSA can pick up these phone calls.”
“That’s okay, I’ll tell them Simon is one of the people who funds the Tory party, they’ll forget it then.”
“That’s true. Byee.”
I went back to the kitchen, “That idiot games teacher who barged in past you the other day has been taken into a loony bin, Jason reckons he’ll either be unfit to plead or go for diminished responsibility.”
“What?” Gasped Jacquie, “He did wrong and will get off and I didn’t do anything and got sent away at Her Majesty’s pleasure–that’s so unfair.”
I couldn’t disagree.
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Comments
To err is human;
but to really foul things up you need a few bent or misled police and a corrupt judge.
It's true; we have an expensive legal system, not a justice system.
Still a regular reader.
S.
Well I suppose...
... Cathy could go the civil court route with Swithernbank, and as he has had himself sectioned and apply to keep him there until he is fit for trial.
I have to agree Susan, it is a sad state of affiars when the victim has less rights in the eyes of the law than the perpetrator, but that is why Lady Justice wears a blindfold I spose
Diminished capacity
Here in the States it is actually difficult to get off scot-free on that. In many of the States, what they usually do is hold the person in a mental health institution until they have been deemed no longer of diminished capacity. Once that happens they go back to Court under the original charges. So, they either spend an inordinate amount of time in the Rubber Room then go to Court and typically found guilty and then spend additional time behind bars. Or they remain in the Rubber Room until it is determined that they will never be able to understand the Court system and end up remaining in the Rubber Room.
Law and Justice
The most glaring historical example of the difference between law and justice.
Hitler's Nazi government (Elected democratically in 1936 with an overwhelming majority,)ruled that the death camps were legal, thus they technically became legal according to the then current German law.
I wouldn't consider them just.
Good chapter Ang. Food for thought.
Bevs.
XX
A cardiologist...
in the jurisdiction in which I reside, stabbed (50 times) his 2 young children to death. He pleaded insanity - was found not criminally responsible and after a short time (if I remember rightly - about 18 months) he is back walking the streets. The Crown has now filed an appeal on the basis of the judge having mis-instructed the jury.
I hope that the system demands a re-trial & that he gets the maximum - which usually means 25 years but there would time off for "good" behaviour.
We have a system but not one that dispenses justice.
Ruth
May the sun always shine on your parade
Crown Appeal
"The Crown has now filed an appeal on the basis of the judge having mis-instructed the jury."
That's interesting, as the concept of double jeopardy is English in origin. Keep in mind the U.S.A. is close federation, where the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land. However, each of the several states is sovereign within its borders and is free to offer protections greater than those required by the Federal Constitution. If not under Federal Law, I suspect that most states would bar such an appeal on double jeopardy grounds. A legal scholar would have to provide a definitive opinion. In fairness, I believe that in most jurisdictions the miscreant would still be "hospitalized".
G/R
I think
the UK have now rescinded the concept of double jeopardy, so in theory you could be tried twice if the first trial was in error or new evidence comes to light, but then they could always do you for attempting to pervert the course of justice, whatever that means.
Angharad
Need a great Story Button.
But that is true for all you write dear Ang. Bonkers that seems to ring a bell.
Thank you for another excellent episode
Goddess Bless you
Love Desiree
Hmmm...
While he might "get off" for diminished capability... It seems obvious to me that he's also not safe to let out in society, and should be kept off the street for quite a while....
Thanks,
Annette