Man Fined £50 For Dropping £10 Note
IN Scotland, “STUNNED” Stewart Smith says he became stunned when having dropped a £10 note in the street he was fined £50 for littering.
Stewart, 36, claimed he unwittingly spilled the cash and a price tag after buying a £3 T-shirt from a charity shop. Two nearby bobbies immediately told him to pick his cash up off the pavement — but he was amazed when they then hit him with a fixed penalty for LITTERING.
Might the £40 surcharge be by way of a finder’s fee?
Last night Stewart said: “One of them pointed to the money and ticket. I said ‘Oh, thanks very much’ and picked them up.
“But then they said they wanted a word and told me they were fining me £50 for littering. I was gobsmacked.”He said: “I used a £20 note and was given £17 change. I put the coins in my front pocket and went to put the note and ticket in my back pocket but I obviously dropped it.
“I hadn’t realised until I heard someone say, ‘Excuse me son.’ Then I turned round and there were two police officers.”
Son? Mr Stewart is, as we’ve noted, 36. And note the use of “bobbies”. Sun hack Kenny Angove seems to hanker for the days of 1950s policing. Son has been replaced by “sir”, hissed through clenched teeth. Bobbies are now known in street parlance as *****. We move with the times or else we lose relevancy.
A spokesman for Strathclyde Police offers their version of events:
“An individual was seen throwing papers in the street. When he was spoken to he retained the money that he’d accidentally thrown away, but then repeated his actions with the papers. He was issued with a fixed-penalty ticket.”
Which, we supposed, he tucked smartly into his pocket or stick to his forehead…
Posted: 11th, June 2009 | In: Strange But True Comments (6) | TrackBack | Permalink
