Main Jailed over Anti Police Tshirt

WilcoOut

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1011/breaking50.html

A man who wore an anti-police T-shirt in public just hours after the killings of two policewomen in Britain has been jailed.

Barry Thew (39) was spotted in his home town of Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, wearing a T-shirt that carried handwritten comments of “One less pig; perfect justice” and “Killacopforfun.com haha”.

Less than three-and-a-half hours earlier, Pc Nicola Hughes (23) and Fiona Bone (32) were shot dead in a gun and grenade attack as they responded to a reported burglary on the Hattersley estate in Mottram, Greater Manchester.

Thew, of Wolsey Street, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to the public order offence committed on September 18th.

He was sentenced to four months in jail and received an additional four months after he admitted breaching the terms of a previous suspended jail term.

Following sentencing, Inspector Bryn Williams, of the Radcliffe Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “While officers on the ground were just learning of and trying to come to terms with the devastating news that two colleagues had been murdered, Thew thought nothing of going out in public with a T-shirt daubed with appalling handwritten comments on.

“Thankfully the overwhelming response from the public . . . prove that Thew is the exception and not the rule and our communities were right behind us at our darkest hour.

“To mock or joke about the tragic events of that morning is morally reprehensible and Thew has rightly been convicted and sentenced for his actions.”

An Udaras

Proper order and a decent sentence in the scheme of things.

kub

Proper order is right, I have to wonder though if it had occured over here, would there be any punishment and would that scum bag have been to court so quickly.
I am not at all questioning the actions of AGS, its the courts I am wondering about.

Potential-Monke

^^ He'd probably get the Probation Act...

kub

Potential-Monke wrote: »

^^ He'd probably get the Probation Act...

There is a devil in me suggesting other punishment, but that is all I can say

doopa

Interesting article from Peter Tatchell with a few details missing from most of the articles about this:
www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/10/11/peter-tatchell-blasts-the-jailing-of-barry-thew-as-excessive/

The man suffers from mental health problems.

His son was killed in police custody - seriously can't understand why this is missing from the story.

Personally I think this arrest and the recent facebook ones for indecent comments are wrong. It shouldn't be illegal to say stuff like this, unacceptable or whatever but not worthy of a custodial sentence.

So when are we banning NWA - of '**** da Police' fame? How does one organise a book/record burning in the age of e-readers/mp3 players?

Potential-Monke

Well in Eire there is a section of the Public Order Act which covers the display of material which is likely to cause a breach of the peace.

Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994

Distribution or display in public place of material which is threatening, abusive, insulting or obscene.

7.—(1) It shall be an offence for any person in a public place to distribute or display any writing, sign or visible representation which is threatening, abusive, insulting or obscene with intent to provoke a breach of the peace or being reckless as to whether a breach of the peace may be occasioned.

(2) A person who is guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both.

I'm sure the UK has a similar act, and this covers it.

MagicSean

doopa wrote: »

His son was killed in police custody - seriously can't understand why this is missing from the story.

So? Was his son killed by the cops who were murdered?

doopa

MagicSean wrote: »

So?

I'd argue it relevant as to why he does not share the commonly held view that the police are here to protect the citizenry. The media by ignoring this context to the story are not doing their job.

jhegarty

An Udaras wrote: »

Proper order and a decent sentence in the scheme of things.

I should have the right to offend you and you should have the right to offend me.

Would the makers of the recent movie on Islam be inside a prison cell now if they released it in the uk ?

Zambia

What about if he walked up to a mother and child and slapped his old fella on their table.

That's offensive to the extent it should be illegal ...and it is

What about walking into a funeral and urinating on a coffin ...offensive.