Swansea police prosecute man for ripping up disposable pillow
TO Swansea, where Richard Lewis, 42, has been arrested for a petty offence. He’s just lost his job. Police take him to the cells. He’ s not happy. Lewis vents his frustration out on the 50p disposable “custody pillow”. He rips it up. Stress has been relieved.
Police decide that Lewis has no case to answer for the petty offence that triggered his arrest. But the full weight of law will be used to prosecute him for the torn pillow.
So. He’s taken court, appearing before the Beaks in Llanelli. The cost of the case is put at £3,000. Lewis admits criminal damage and is handed a 12-month conditional discharge.
Says Peter Martin, defending:
“It was a particularly frustrating day for Mr Lewis — he had lost his job after 11 years with the same company. He was arrested at 9.30pm in relation to an allegation of criminal damage. By 6am next morning, he decided he had had enough and took out his frustrations on the pillow given to him by the police. Clearly these custody pillows are not given to be ripped up, but they are basically single-use items. The police do not keep these pillows to reuse, but they are not there to be destroyed. Mr Lewis ripped the pillow to express his displeasure at still being in the cells nine hours after his arrest.”
Mr Lewis need to buy the force a new pillow.
In other Swansea police news.
Posted: 4th, November 2012 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
