World of Pain

Two things struck me of my client of two days ago, one amusing, the other not.

I attended a provincial with the aim of getting my client bail. This was going to be difficult given:

a. His antecedents, he was as they euphemistcally say "no stranger to the Court system", indeed he was able to provide me with some procedural information;

b. His admitted drug habit.

Nevertheless, I thought we have a go. His wife turned up, she was pleasant and a bit disappointed that he was in custody, the evidence against him was a bit thin. Fortunately he was produced by video link (so no trip to smelly cells).

He had the usual fixation with irrelevant trivia, i.e. "why have I not had any letters from my solicitor"? Answer "I am busy, you are locked up and there is no point writing to you".

In submissions it became aware that the most recent conviction of my client was for theft.

Of a mobile phone.

In a police station.

In fact the theft took place in the cell block.

He had been arrested, was ill (i.e. withdrawing from drugs) and was dissatisifed that the police had not arranged a doctor for him (i.e. given him enough drugs). I asked what happened

"I never meant to keep the phone, they would get me a doctor so I took the phone, went back to the cell, phoned my girlfriend to get a doctor...."

Glad to see the police are even more vigilant in police stations.

Oh, and after bail was refused I discovered why there were police in attendance:

"Yeah the reason he got x years was when the pensioner refused to tell him where the money was he threatened to cut her fingers off"

Nice