Courageous burglar

Instead of handing down a hefty jail term to Richard Rochford for burgling three homes in five days, Judge Peter Bowers was sympathetic. He acknowledged that burglary victims suffer trauma but, after hearing that Rochford had given up drugs, gave him a suspended 12-month sentence, a one-year driving ban and an order to complete drug rehabilitation.

But what really drew the ire of his critics were his comments. He told the court, "It takes a huge amount of courage to burgle somebody's house. I wouldn't have the nerve." The Prime Minister, David Cameron, speaking on ITV, joined the outcry against the judge.

"Burglary is not bravery, burglary is cowardice, burglary is a hateful crime. People sometimes say it's not a violent crime but actually if you've been burgled you do feel it was violent."

Mark Clayton's house was burgled by Rochford, and he says that the judge's definition of courage is wrong.

"I did 22 years with Her Majesty's forces. I served in some unsavoury spots in the world and I've had to do a lot of things that, you would say, took immense courage, not just me but, as a team, took an immense amount of courage."

Jeremy Dean, QC, a criminal defence lawyer, said the judge's use of the word 'courage' was unfortunate.

"Sometimes lawyers, as well as everyone else, use language which they subsequently regret, and this was regrettable, but the fact of the matter is that the judge clearly passed a sentence which, he believes, is likely to protect the public in the long term, more than to send this particular offender to prison for a limited period of time."

The Office for Judicial Complaints said it is considering the matter after being contacted by members of the public who are angry about the judge's comments.

2. Sudan teacher arrested over teddy bear

A 54 year old British primary school teacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's prophet by allowing her class of 7 year olds to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Gillian Gibbons could face several months in jail if she's convicted of blasphemy under Sudanese law. Amber Henshaw has more.

Gillian Gibbons' colleagues at Unity High School in the Sudanese capital said they feared for her safety. They said there were reports that young men had already started gathering outside the Khartoum police station where she's being held.

The 54 year old primary teacher was arrested at her house in the school compound on Sunday afternoon. State media said she was being charged with blasphemy after allowing her class of 6 and 7 year olds to choose their favourite name for a teddy bear they were using as part of a school project. The pupils voted to call the cuddly toy Mohammed.

The school said Miss Gibbons had been following a British educational course designed to teach the children about animals and their habitats. She was taken into custody after complaints to the Ministry of Education.

Unity High School's director, Robert Bulos, insisted that the teacher had made an innocent mistake but he said he was concerned it could have serious consequences. As a result the school has decided to close until January. British Embassy officials in Khartoum are visiting Gillian Gibbons in custody.

3.Violence in Japan’s elementary schools

Japanese elementary schools are becoming ever more increasingly violent, according to government statistics. This is beginning to challenge the myth of Japan as an orderly society in which schoolchildren sit attentively, respond in unison and respect teachers. The number of reported cases of violence rose to a record 1,890 during the past school year. This broke the previous record of 1,600 cases set in 2003. A government spokesperson attributed the violence to children having “difficulties expressing their feelings” or lacking patience. Japan began surveying school violence in 1997 following a string of macabre and disturbing crimes committed by younger students. The most shocking crime was the decapitation of a ten-year-old by a classmate.

Attacks against teachers jumped nearly 33 per cent to 336 cases during the latest school year. The government report stated: “In many cases, children easily lost their tempers because of trivial things and quickly turned to violence.” This has included record numbers of stabbings, assaults and vandalism of school property. One attempt at resolving the situation included dismayed parents keeping watch on their own children during classes. Teachers are under increasing strain and school officials have expressed an inability to cope. When they confront parents about a child’s delinquent behavior, the matter is shrugged off with an explanation that the child behaves well in the home. Police statistics show juvenile delinquency is steadily increasing.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-17