British people get what they deserve!

More Tory filth! 26.08.10


So the coalition govt's budget has hit the poorest people the hardest!What a fucking surprise!What a turn up for the books! A conservative government that taxes the poor for the mistakes of the rich.
The average worker had nothing to do with the recession, not able to get a mortgage, not able to get credit, and suffering ever increasing inflation. Now we have a situation where a huge number of jobs are at risk and the government is cutting the very services that people have paid for through the tax system.


The governmnet is faced with a huge deficit brought on by the collapse of the banking system. It does need to address this issue, but why make the poor suffer? Why not increase the upper rate of tax? Why not tax foreign billionaires settled in the UK? Why not increase corporation tax for those companies that continue to raise prices and increase their profits at the expense of the majority of British people-'the poor'?
BT(profits-£1bn), British Gas(£534m), Scottish power(£1.3bn),Barclays(£11.6bn) and HSBC(£600m from UK business alone) who all make obscene amounts of profit, with British Gas hurting people the most by doubling its prices this year closely followed by Scottish Power and BT all complete bastards! Barclays and Hsbc continue to make vast amounts of profit by giving shit interest rates and charging much more than necessary for loans, credit cards and mortgages, but at least you can vote with your feet when it comes to them.
In the end though, the government was elected by the people and so the people will suffer.
Chris Mercer.25.08.10






http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11086137
From the BBC.
Mr Clegg said a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), which said the Budget has hit poorest families the hardest, was "by definition partial".

"It does not include the things we want to do to get people off benefits and into work," he said during a visit to the Disasters Emergency Committee headquarters in central London.

The IFS calls the Budget "regressive".

It had already challenged the government's claim that the Budget was "progressive".

Its analysis suggests that low-income families with children are set to lose the most - about 5% of net income - due to benefit cuts announced in the Budget.

The think tank's report was commissioned and part-funded by the End Child Poverty campaign.

Fiona Weir from the campaign group told the BBC: "This government really needs to start matching what it's saying about fairness and what it's actually putting into practise with Budget decisions."....cont (follow the link above)

British TV is crap

Summer holidays are nearly over, and the kids will have to start going to bed at a reasonable hour-thank goodness. Trying to keep kid-friendly TV on until 9/10pm is not an easy task these days. Attempting not to sound like Mary Whitehouse it seems every programme is full of sexual references, violence, swearing, drug references, or is just mindless drivel to say the least. I don't mind a good drama or movie, but most are not suitable for kids. I do wonder that the BBC and ITV are still able to serve up the same depressing soaps at prime time before the 9pm watershed as they have for the last 20 years.

Last week in' Eastenders' ,apparently the storyline centred on one of the main characters becoming a drug addict, that along with countless murders, rapes, and domestic violence is shown to the majority of children in this country 4/5 times a week. Why? And why do we still allow it? What happened to 'Not in front of the kids!' ? I want my children to enjoy their childhood for as long as possible and to remain as children until their teens at least, and for that reason I have banned the following programmes, luckily my wife also hates them.

Reality TV-Big Brother, Get me out of here..., Paris Hilton etc

All Soaps-Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Neighbours, Home and away etc(once all soaps have been removed, there is pretty much nothing left!)

All Cooking programmes.

'Dramas' Footballers Wives, Holby City, Casualty, The Bill.

Quiz -Deal or no Deal(there really is no point to it!)

Of course we could do something apart from sit in front of the TV. We do, as often as we can, but this is England and the weather doesn't always cooperate. Telling two boys to read a book at 8pm doesn't work either, and you can only play so many games of monopoly, scrabble and battleships.

Protests over Manila rescue operation

25.08.10 From Hong Kong Carandang said the government is looking into a report that a Filipino was fired by her Hong Kong employer because of the incident. "We're concerned that because of the public anger in Hong Kong over what happened, there will be threats against Filipinos living and working there," he said.United Filipinos in Hong Kong said Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong are "appalled by the crime and greatly saddened by its ending." Ten things the manila police did wrong. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11069616 Philippines fears HK hostage backlash

24-08-2010

Forensic examinations being carried out on the tourist bus in Manila. Photo: Reuters. The Philippine government has said it's concerned that public anger in Hong Kong over yesterday's hostage deaths in Manila could lead to threats against Filipinos working in the SAR. Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven injured after they were held captive on their tour bus by a former policeman who'd been sacked and wanted his job back. An aide of Philippine President, Benigno Aquino, also said a "high-level" delegation would be sent to the SAR to explain the authorities' handling of the crisis -- which has been widely criticised. He said Mr Aquino would telephone the Chief Executive, Donald Tsang, who's demanded a "detailed and comprehensive" report on the hijacking. Mr Tsang said the priority now was for the SAR officials both in Hong Kong and in Manila to take care of the survivors and the victims' families. Protests over Manila rescue operation 24-08-2010 Protesters organised by political and civic groups have marched to the Philippine consulate in Admiralty following the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists in yesterday's hostage taking in Manila. "We are very angry about how the Philippine government handled this case," said Alex Tou, head of the Kowloon Federation of Associations, who led a group of 40 demonstrators. About two dozen members of the Liberal Party also condemned the authorities in Manila The group observed one-minute of silence in memory of those who died before handing in a petition to the Philippine Consul-General, Claro Cristobal. Mr Cristobal expressed sadness over the deaths. But he refused to be drawn into whether the Philippine police had handled the siege unprofessionally. The League of Social Democrats joined the chorus of criticism. Party chairman Andrew To said both the Beijing and Hong Kong governments should have had representatives on the scene quickly. We blundered, admits Philippines police of bus hijack (08-24 10:44) Philippine police conceded they made blunders in ending a bus hijacking as outrage grew over the bloody assault played out on live television that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead. Commandos fired dozens of bullets into the bus and smashed its windows with sledgehammers as they tried to storm it, but were then forced to wait outside helplessly for over an hour as the hijacker used his captives as human shields. The ordeal in Manila's tourist district yesterday finally ended when the police fired tear gas into the bus and a sniper shot the gunman in the head, but by that time eight of the tourists on board had been killed. Amid a building storm of criticism from Hong Kong's government and people around the world who watched the shoot-out live on television, Manila police commander Leocadio Santiago admitted mistakes had been made. "We saw some obvious shortcomings in terms of capability and tactics used, or the procedure employed and we are now going to investigate this,'' Santiago said on local television. He and President Benigno Aquino promised to probe all aspects of the 12-hour ordeal, which began when a disgruntled sacked policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle hijacked a bus carrying 25 people, mostly Hong Kong tourists. Aquino told a pre-dawn press conference that the tragedy highlighted many flaws in the ability of Philippine security forces to handle hostage situations. "There are a lot of things (that) resulted in a tragedy. Obviously we should be improving,'' said Aquino, who took office less than two months ago. One of the problems he emphasised was the way the crisis played out through the media, with the gunman being allowed to speak on radio and watch events live on the bus's television, giving him insights into police actions. But Aquino nevertheless insisted waiting more than 10 hours before storming the bus was the right course of action, because police believed until that point they could convince the gunman to stand down. However relatives of the victims as well as the Hong Kong government and media expressed anger over the bloody end to the stand off. "The way it is handled -- particularly the outcome -- is very disappointing,'' Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters. The Chinese embassy in Manila today urged the Philippines to take concrete measures to protect Chinese citizens while Hong Kong newspapers bemoaned missed opportunities to end the siege much earlier. "A large group of police failed to get into the bus after surrounding the vehicle for nearly half an hour,'' the Hong Kong Economic Journal said. "Their appalling professional standards, and the lack of strategic planning, made observers both angry and sad. This tragedy could have been avoided.'' One of the survivors, who identified herself as Mrs Leung, said at the scene after she scrambled out of the bus that police should not have waited so long before taking action. "There were so many people on the bus -- no one came to our rescue. Why?'' said Mrs Leung. Her husband had died in a hail of bullets as he tried to protect his wife. The couple's three children aged 14, 18 and 21 were also on the bus and remained unaccounted for, according to the reports. The Hong Kong government organised two chartered flights to take relatives of the hostages, as well as psychologists, doctors and social workers, to Manila. Flags flew at half mast and the Hong Kong stock exchange held a minute's silence as the shocked territory mourned the victims. The gunman, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, hijacked the bus in a crazed attempt to clear his name from charges of extortion that led to him being discharged from the police force in 2008. Mendoza, 55, had demanded that the ombudsman re-open an investigation into his case, which centred on accusations he tried to extort money from a man who was accused of drug trafficking. Before being discharged, Mendoza was regarded as a model officer, once being named by his superiors as among the top 10 policemen in the country. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Indecisive' police under fire

'Indecisive' police under fire

Manila police came under fire for being "indecisive" and taking more than half an hour to get inside the bus to rescue hostages after the last gunshots were heard.

Diana Lee

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Manila police came under fire for being "indecisive" and taking more than half an hour to get inside the bus to rescue hostages after the last gunshots were heard.

Hundreds of Hong Kong residents expressed disbelief and disappointment in discussion forums and on Facebook, saying the police officers were overcautious, if not slow, to storm the bus.

"Is there only one ax in the Philippines?" "Why didn't the police shoot the gunman earlier?" and similar comments were posted in the forums.

Dennis Wong Sing-wing, associate professor of the department of applied social studies at the City University, said the Philippine government is to blame for allowing the situation to get out of control.

He said the hostage taker's earlier actions, including releasing children and elderly people, showed he hoped his demands would be heard.

A bloody end to the standoff could have been avoided had the authorities shown they were willing to listen to him, Wong added.

"Yet there was no senior official from the government, no negotiator was sent to negotiate with him. The authorities failed to handle the crisis and they had no power tools to assist in the police operation, not to mention the failure to storm the bus immediately after gunshots were heard," Wong said.

"The police appeared to be in panic and indecisive. They spent more than 45 minutes breaking the window.

"They disappointed Hong Kong people and the world as well."

However, Steve Vickers, a former Hong Kong police senior superintendent and now the president and chief executive of risk mitigation organization International Risk, said rescue operations in kidnapping situations should not be underestimated.

"Clearly from the point of view of an operation it was not successful. The situation is not ideal when the police tried to get into the bus without success and it appeared to be an equipment issue. Yet we don't know at this stage why the Philippine police made such a decision," Vickers said.

If its intelligence found out that the gunman had started to kill hostages, the police had to act immediately, he added.

Vickers believed such a tragic incident could not happen in Hong Kong, where the best equipment and the finest anti-terrorism squad are available.

Mr Darcy, what a c**t!

Dash it all, Miss Austen

Speaking of old ideas, the shock release of an original Jane Austen manuscript has revealed that everyone's favourite romantic novelist had no sense of grammar.

The handwritten chapters from Persuasion, going on display in the British Library from November, include nothing but dashes by way of punctuation: no commas and barely a full stop. Austen's publishers, it transpires, edited every paragraph to shape the works we know and love today. Forget the painstaking spinster in the attic; this was a hurried hack, banging it out with no respect for the structure of the language.

And that's just the half of it. What has not yet come to light is the amount of effing and blinding that had to be removed before the novels were fit to print.

The first draft of Pride And Prejudice, for example, sees Elizabeth Bennet returning from the ball at Netherfield and telling her mother: "I met that Mr Darcy from up the road – what a c***."
Victoria Cohen-The Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/22/graeme-swann-jane-austen-victoria-coren

http://www.victoriacoren.com

One liners

"Being an England supporter is like being the over-optimistic parents of the fat kid on sports day."John Bishop"
I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again." Tim Vine

"I'm currently dating a couple of anorexics. Two birds, one stone."David Gibson

"I picked up a hitch hiker. You've got to when you hit them."Emo Philips

"I bought one of those anti-bullying wristbands when they first came out. I say 'bought', I actually stole it off a short, fat ginger kid." Jack Whitehall

"As a kid I was made to walk the plank. We couldn't afford a dog." Gary Delaney


"What do you call a kid with no arms and an eyepatch? Names."Bo Burnham

"Dave drowned. So at the funeral we got him a wreath in the shape of a lifebelt. Well, it's what he would have wanted."Gary Delaney

Home

My interactive Map-click to zoom in and move around and click on places to see pics and videos.

View Mui-Wo,Lantau in a larger map

Lucky lucky me!

First I had the African girl who wants to put a few million in my account and kip at our place for a while, well now 'Madam Rita' wants to give me £10m! She lives in Leicester apparently and thinks her husband's relatives are too bourgeois to be given the money. Looks like Easy Street from here on in, about time too! Little strange, how her solicitor is in China though (.cn e-mail address), but I'm sure it's all okay.

Madam Rita Osborne.
42 Dryden Street,
Leicester, L15,
England.

Hello,
As you read this,I don't want you to feel sorry for me because I believe
everyone will die someday.Please do not be surprise the way I got your
contact, its obvious that this proposal will come to you as a big
surprise.This is because we have not met you before but I am inspired to
send you this email,my Name is Rita Osborne suffering from cancerous
ailment.I am married to Sir Williams Osborne an Englishman who is dead.My
husband was into private practice all his life before his death.we live
together as husband and wife which lasted for three decades without a
child. My husband died after a protracted illness,My husband and I made a
vow to uplift the down-trodden and the less-privileged individuals as he
had passion for persons who can not help themselves due to physical
disability or financial predicament.

I can adduce this to the fact that he needed a Child from this
relationship,which never came,when my late husband was alive he deposited
the sum of Ten Million Pounds(£ 10,000,000.00 Million Great Britain Pound
Sterlings)which were derived from his vast estates and investment in
capital market with his bank here in UK. Presently, this money is still
with the Bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that I have limited days to
live due to the cancerous problems I am suffering from.

Though what bothers me most is the stroke that I have in addition to the
cancer. With this hard reality that has befallen my family, and me I have
decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which
comes from my husbands effort to fund the upkeep of widows,
widowers,orphans, destitute, the down-trodden, physically challenged
children,barren-women and persons who prove to be genuinely handicapped
financially.

I took this decision because I do not have any child that will inherit
this money and my husband relatives are bourgeois and very wealthy persons
and I do not want my husband hard earned money to be misused or invested
into ill perceived ventures. I do not want this money to be misused hence
the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death hence I
know where I am going. I do not need any telephone communication in this
regard due to my deteriorating health and because of the presence of my
husband relatives around me,I do not want them to know about this
development.

Contact my lawyer with the specified email address

Barrister Teddy Williams (ESQ)

E-mail: barteddywill03@07168.cn

Tell him that I have WILLED £10,000,000 to you by quoting my personal
reference number Law/chamber/solicitors/rt/osb/WILL/9834520012 and I have
also notified him that I am WILLING that amount to you for a specific
program and good work.

Remain blessed.
Your Sister,
Madam. Rita Osborne

Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed

By Bonnie Ware(who worked for years nursing the dying)

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly,in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip.But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks,love and relationships.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have sillyness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again,long before you are dying.
Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Bike ride

Great bike ride today, sunny, we got lost, ended up cycling about 12 miles, Jack was tired and said he doesn't want to cycle that way again.Even Joseph was flagging.Teosdee fell off! Here is the route.Zoom in for a closer look.
-
View Our bike ride 12 Aug 2010 in a larger map


And here are some pics-

Fifa world rankings

Real test answers! cheers Giles!

Letter from Africa

I received this e-mail today, and will be sending my bank account details to this poor girl who needs to transfer US$5.7m to my bank account and who needs a place to stay in the UK! Strange that she would trust me with so much money, but if I can help, why not?


Hello Dear,

I know this might come to you as a surprise, but please do accept it in good faith and treat as a matter of urgency with utmost confidentiality. I am Miss Nybol Henry 23years of age, still single. God is the first in my life, I hope that he is for you as well! I am from Northeastern Africa Sudan, now seeking for refugee in Dakar Senegal under the (UNHCR).

My (late) father Dr. Henry Hani, was the Managing Director of Sudanese Boost Co. Ltd company of importing Machineries & Equipments for Industry, also a successful business man of exporting of cocoa. But he was killed along side with my mother during the longing civil war and all his properties were totally destroyed. I couldnt help it but cry and cried as I became homeless. I felt so devastated and depressed as I have lost virtually everything I had including my school certificates and my passport.

However, after the death of my parent, I managed to escape with a very important document (DEPOSIT CERTIFICATE ($5.7USD) Five Million Seven Hundred Thousand U.S Dollars deposited by my late father in one of the leading bank with my name as the next of kin. Whatever the struggle I went through, I always ensured nothing separates me from these documents as my life depends on it right now.

I am searching for a true friend. Some one who is God fearing, kind and honest to stand as my foreign representative to help me transfer my inheritance funds so I can leave this camp and come over to your country and continue my education.

Furthermore, you can contact the bank for confirmation, I will send to you the full contact address of the bank, once I get your positive response to help me with the transfer of the funds to your bank account, and help me with the investment of the funds, and my coming over to join with you in your country.

In the light of above I will like you to keep it to yourself and don't tell it to anyone for I am afraid of loosing my life and the money.

Please kindly reply me back if you know in your heart you would want to help me. Remain Bless

Nybol
*kisses**

Truthful advertising slogans

• Conservative party: "Because, deep down, you know that posh people are supposed to be in charge."
•Online roulette: "If you're even reading this slogan, it appeals to you slightly, which means you're bound to piss all your money away somehow, so it might as well be on this."
• Payday loans: "If you were the sort of person who was ever going to understand compound interest, you wouldn't be in this mess. We can literally put off the shitstorm until next week. I mean, next week! It'll probably never happen!"
• Cancer Research UK: "Don't think of this as chucking your money away altruistically, like with Amnesty. Face it, you're never going to go to North Korea but, with your diet, bowel cancer is a very real possibility."
• Channel 5: "It can't all be 'appointment to view'. Sometimes you've just got to have something on in the background. And I bet you've still got an inkling that we might show some crafty porn come 3am."
• Pimm's: "It may be unrelentingly sugary but you can drink it outdoors without looking like a tramp."
• Twiglets: "OK, they're pretty unpleasant, but eat 12 and then tell me you don't want a 13th."

• Give blood: "Obviously you're not going to and this campaign is wasted on you – just don't go around thinking you're any kind of saint, that's all."
• Ferrari: "Drive a Ferrari and most people will think you're a dick – but in an envious way, like they feel about Richard Branson, not a dismissive one, like with the chairman of a pressure group trying to block a wind farm development."
David Mitchell-The Observer
'Live in Lantau':Semi-alcoholic? Why not go the whole hog?
'Drink in Lan-Kwai Fong' 'Bit of a twat? More money than sense, you'll feel right at home'
'Wanchai-24 hours a day' 'Too old,desperate, and skint for Lan Kwai? Drown your sorrows with the rest of us, and meet the local trannies!'

Chinese press on cop slapping case.

明報社評 2010.08.04
From MingPao
http://english.mingpao.com/cfm/database3.cfm?File=20100805/critic/ema1.txt
Justice Must Be Seen To Be Done
三度襲警均免囚 司法公義蒙陰影 Publishing Date: 2010/8/5

【明報專訊】OVER the past nine years, Amina Mariam Bokhary, whose uncle is Kemal Bokhary, a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, has thrice been charged with assaulting a police officer. In all the three cases she pleaded guilty or was convicted, but she was invariably given light sentences. She has thrice avoided being jailed. Such cases are very rare indeed.

終審法院常任法官包致金的侄女Amina Mariam Bokhary （以下稱Amina），9年來3次被控襲警罪，分別都罪名成立或認罪，但是她都先後獲得法官輕判，毋須坐牢，情極其罕有。

Celebrities and their relatives who fall foul of the law have inherent advantages. They have the money to retain barristers or senior counsel, who would rack their brains to defend them. They can have their health reports prepared by medical authorities, and they may ask other celebrities to give character evidence or provide affidavits for use in mitigation.

一般名人或名人親屬涉及刑事案件，由於他們有財有勢，本來已經有先天優勢，包括有財力聘請大律師甚至資深大律師，為他們挖空心思打官司，也可以請權威醫生寫健康報告。另外，也可以動員社會名流為品格證人，作為向法官求情之用。

Amina has such advantages. Her uncle Kemal Bokhary is a Permanent Judge of the CFA, and her aunt Verina Saeeda Bokhary, a High Court judge. Is their illustrious status in the judiciary her another advantage? Has that had anything to do with her trial? It is on this point that the controversy her sentence has aroused centres. That is what many people want to find out.

就Amina而言，除了上述優勢，她的叔父包致金身為終審法院常任法官、她的嬸嬸包鍾倩薇是高院原訟庭法官，他們兩人在司法界的顯赫地位，會否成為被告另一層優勢，在侄女的案件中起過作用，正是此案宣判後，引發輿論熱烈討論的原因，也是許多人心中疑問的關鍵所在。

The magistrate attached great importance to Amina's "good background, well-off family and outstanding academic achievement". Saying she was a sick person who needed help rather than a bad one, he put her on probation for one year for assaulting a police officer, fined her $8,000 for refusing to provide a breath sample and suspended her licence for one year for careless driving. According to lawyers, a first offender of the crime of assaulting a police officer should be jailed, though a magistrate may be justified in taking certain factors into account and showing leniency. However, it is unacceptable not to jail a person who has again committed the offence. It is totally unacceptable not to have jailed the defendant (guilty for the third time of the offence).

至於判決，裁判官重視Amina的良好背景、美滿家庭及教育，更認為她並非壞人，是需要接受幫助的病人，就襲警罪只判她接受1年感化；其餘拒絕提供呼氣樣本及不小心駕駛，則分別判她罰款8000元及停牌1年。不過，法律界人士認為，初犯襲警罪，已經可以判處入獄，基於一些考慮寬大處理，還可以接受，但是再犯仍然不判囚，則不能接受，被告第三次襲警，竟然獲得輕判，毋須入獄，更是無法接受。

Furthermore, according to lawyers, the court does not normally admit intoxication or bipolar disorder as a defence or ground for mitigation. In 2008, Amina pleaded bipolar disorder in defence and mitigation when she was tried for the second time for assaulting a police officer. She resorted to the same trick. The court did not declare whether she received treatment for the disorder during the two intervening years. However, the court ought not to allow any person suffering from a disorder to keep relying on it to bully others.

另外，法律界人士又認為酗酒和躁狂抑鬱症，作為抗辯和求情理由，一般情下，不會得到法庭接受，且在Amina的案件中，她2008年第二次襲警時，已經用躁鬱症來抗辯和求情，這次她故技重施，但是兩年來是否就此接受過治療，法庭並沒有交代。法庭總不能容許恃病凌人的情，繼續存在。

The police are disgruntled at Amina's light sentence. A netizen has set up a Facebook group to demand strongly that the Secretary for Justice to intervene and secure Kemal Bokhary's niece's severe punishment. The call has drawn splendid response. At of yesterday, over 10,000 people had joined the group. It is just one of the things the Secretary for Justice must do to allay public resentment. The affair concerns the rule of law. The Secretary for Justice has a duty to ascertain whether the magistrate's decision is appropriate. Magistrates often hear cases of drink driving or assaulting a police officer and, in such trials, the Amina case may be cited as a precedent. If other magistrates ruled as Anthony Yuen did, would offenders not have to be put behind bars?

Amina獲得輕判，警隊反彈甚大，有網民在facebook設立一個「強烈要求律政司介入，重判包致金侄女」的群組，可謂一呼百應，到昨日已有逾萬人加入。律政司要撫平民情，只是事態的其中一面，就算在法治層面，律政司也有責任釐清判決是否恰當。因為裁判法院審理很多這類酒後駕駛和襲警案，而 Amina的案例，有可能會被援引。其他法官若都像阮偉明般判決，這樣就突出了同類案件的被告，是否都不用坐牢的問題。

Society does not want the court to be harsh towards celebrities or their relatives. It only expects it to deal with them as it does others - to take facts as the basis and the law as the criterion.

對於名人或名人親屬，社會人士並非認為要嚴苛對待他們，只是期望法庭實事求是，正常的「以事實為基礎，以法律為準繩」，與其他各色人等一視同仁而已。

"Not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done." It is quite clear that the Amina case fails this test. The Secretary for Justice ought to seek a remedy. Under the existing procedures, he may require a retrial by the same magistrate (Anthony Yuen). If he finds the retrial unsatisfactory, he may refer the case to the Court of First Instance. It is incumbent upon the Secretary for Justice to safeguard the rule of law. We hope he will take action to put the Amina case right so that the public will see justice is upheld.

司法公義不但要做得到，在實踐過程中也要使公泷看得到。Amina的案件，顯然未能滿足這個準則的檢驗要求。律政司必須尋求補救，按現有程序，律政司可提出覆核，由原審裁判官阮偉明處理，律政司若仍然不滿覆核結果，則可交由高院原訟庭覆核。捍衛法治是律政司的責任，期望律政司採取行動，就Amina 的案件，還香港和市民一個公道。

New Home

New Home

Hong Kong Justice-you have the money, you can get away with anything!

Articles taken from The Standard

The Standard

Police uproar over light sentence for judge's niece
Police have urged the secretary for justice to review the sentence handed out to a niece of a top judge for assaulting a police officer, amid concerns over its leniency.
Serinah Ho
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Police have urged the secretary for justice to review the sentence handed out to a niece of a top judge for assaulting a police officer, amid concerns over its leniency.

The police announcement came as junior officers inundated their association with calls and e-mails expressing disgust over the light sentence handed out to Amina Mariam Bokhary.

Barrister and legislator Ronny Tong Ka-wah - who said it was not unusual for police to make such a request - called for clarification over sentencing standards.

Police Inspectors' Association chairman Liu Kit-ming said yesterday he will send a letter to Deputy Commissioner of Police Lee Ka-chiu this week to report the concerns of frontline police officers.

Bokhary, the 33-year-old niece of Court of Final Appeal judge Kemal Shah Bokhary, was spared a jail term on Monday at Eastern Magistrates' Court, despite being convicted for a third time of assaulting a police officer.

Bokhary was put on probation for a year on the grounds she has a drinking problem brought on by bipolar disorder - or manic depression - and comes from a good family.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said yesterday it is still investigating the rationale of Bokhary's sentence and will decide if a review is needed after the investigation.

Liu said: "Our police officers are highly concerned about the sentence and they worry about the corresponding treatment of similar offenses in the future. The sentence is obviously too light. Assaulting a police officer is a serious crime and this lady had repeatedly attempted the same crime."

He added that the case could give the impression that the rich can receive special treatment in court, and urged the High Court to clarify the sentencing standard so that lower courts could follow it when handling similar cases.

"We are not pointing at Bokhary nor do we hope she can be imprisoned. What we are concerned about most is [there are] guidelines for similar cases."

Lawmaker Tong said the court should clarify the sentencing standard so as to regain public confidence in the judicial system. The light sentence had evoked public anger.

Stephen Hung Wan-shun, chairman of the Hong Kong Law Society's criminal law and procedure committee, said the chance of a review of Bokhary's sentence is low. "Whether the court will review the sentences depends on whether the judgment is manifestly inadequate or wrong in principle.

"I think in this case, Bokhary's sentence of one-year probation, disqualified driving license as well as a fine of HK$8,000, are not manifestly inadequate, which may imply a lower chance of review."

Bokhary was banned from driving for a year. She had pleaded guilty last month to assault, careless driving and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

Businessman's son avoids jail term
The teenage son of a prominent businessman was yesterday ordered to perform 150 hours of community service for drink-driving and driving his father's car without a license.
Dennis Chong
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
The teenage son of a prominent businessman was yesterday ordered to perform 150 hours of community service for drink-driving and driving his father's car without a license.

Clinton Tong Tsun-tak, 18, is the son of Carl Tong Ka-wing, vice chairman of listed company eSun Holdings and a director of Crocodile Garments.

He pleaded guilty at Eastern Magistrates' Court to drink-driving, careless driving, driving without a license, taking a conveyance without authority and using a vehicle without third-party insurance. Tong was also fined HK$12,000 and banned from applying for a driving license for one year.

The court heard that in the early hours of March 27, Tong took his father's car from his residence on Bisney Road to drive a 17-year- old female friend home.

But the car was in collision with a taxi on Victoria Road, and the taxi driver was taken to hospital.

Police found Tong had no driver's license and was driving without third-party insurance. A breathalyzer test recorded 33 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters, exceeding the legal limit of 22mg/100ml.

Acting principal magistrate Bina Chainrai said she would not give Tong a jail term as he did well in school, had a positive probation officer's report and spent leisure time in charity work. Tong, who had apologized, had also made a compensation payment of HK$180,000 to the taxi driver.

His lawyer said that Tong had had a few beers at the Rugby Sevens, and was upset after breaking up with his girlfriend. He took his father's car only because he did not have enough cash to take a taxi with his friend.

The court also received mitigation letters from various well-known figures, including Basic Law Committee member Maria Tam Wai-chu and former lawmaker Selina Chow Liang Suk-yee.