Out of order in court

THE FRIDAY THING: WE have rather got into the habit of blaming the failings of the legal system- especially the European courts, for protecting perpetrators rather than victims.

When it comes to turning the law into an ass, we need no help from across the Channel.

Two examples.

First: Mr Justice Wilkie said an Al Qaeda fanatic and potential suicide bomber should have strict curbs on his movements lifted so he could “enjoy a normal social life”.

The 24-year-old Somali, considered one of the country’s most dangerous terror suspects, was under suspicion of contacting other Islamic extremists to plot attacks against British people.

Second, consider Gintas Burinskas. No, he’s not English; actually Lithuanian.

Gintas was jailed for 10 years for rape in his own country. Three months after release he walked into Britain (thanks to our no-door policy, allowing Europe’s riff-raff to join us) and within a few weeks had violently assaulted and raped a woman.

The Lithuanian authorities have, like other EU member states, undertaken to warn us if a dangerous individual travels to the UK. Lithuania forgot to tell us.

We are told every effort will be made to deport Burinskas. What’s the betting that before you can say good riddance, he has a home and a family... and a judge saying he is entitled to a family life and should be allowed to stay?



Ultimate in recycling
THE most bizarre story of the week was a report that metal from cremated bodies (fillings, skull plates, artificial joints and so on) are being melted and sold and recycled.

That might seem strange or even disrespectful, but why not recycle them? It seems to make good sense to me. After the cremation, the “ashes” go into a machine which separates metal from pieces of bone.

But what about the metal rescued from crematoria being used to make road signs?

Yes, road signs. The metal is sold off and turned into anything from road signs to motorway barriers. Rather ironic if the poor soul surrendered his metal appendages after a road accident.

Perhaps those with bits of metal in them should have the right to decide what it goes when they, er, go?


FINAL WORD: I deliberately haven’t said much about the press and the curbs wounded celebrities and politicians would like to see in place to stop us holding them to account.
At risk is 300 years of press freedom. And of course those shallow celebs who love to see their pictures in the papers (unless they have been caught up to image-damaging no good).

But two things. The notion that the press - all the press - need to be subject to draconian laws is nonsense. Local and regional newspapers are not the same as the red top hotbeds of exclusives, and shouldn’t be measured by the same yardstick.

And secondly, why is Labour’s Harriet Harman calling for full-on statutory regulation of the press.

What have they got to fear?