|
|
Farangland
News...
2008 July-Sep |
Search Thai-Anxiety
|
| 29th September |
Escorts Escorted Off... |
|
| |
Nordic nutters urge MEPs to use only prostitution free hotels
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
euobserver.com
|
A
group of mostly left-leaning Nordic MEPs have in a letter urged the
European Parliament to only patronise Strasbourg hotels that pledge not
to tolerate use of prostitutes, with one French NGO swiftly welcoming
the symbolic gesture.
[We] strongly propose that the EU parliament without delay follow the
Nordic Council and decide that the EU parliament only use hotels that
issue a guarantee that the hotel is not involved in the sex trade, and
that all staff have written guidelines on this issue, the letter,
addressed to parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering and signed by 37
MEPs, says.
The Danish, Swedish and Finnish deputies mostly come from the
Socialist, Liberal and Green factions in the parliament and include
former Danish Prime Minister and the current president of the European
Party of Socialists, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. Two conservative MEPs,
Sweden's Charlotte Cederschiold and Finnish deputy Eija-Riitta Korhola,
also joined the initiative.
The Copenhagen-based Nordic Council was founded in 1952 as a forum for
Nordic parliamentary co-operation. It adopted the measure on
prostitution and hotels in 2006.
Prostitution is legal in Denmark and Finland. It is also legal to sell
sex in Sweden but against the law to buy it.
There is plenty of anecdotal material that some well-paid European
Parliament workers and MEPs, away from their partners for the week, pay
for sex during the monthly plenary session in Strasbourg. But evidence
is scarce.
Hotels deny they would ever help a guest find a prostitute, while some
smaller guest-houses exclude prostitutes who normally live with them in
order not to put off EU clientele during the plenary sessions. But the
manager of one large Strasbourg hotel told EUobserver: If a guest
brought back somebody, they would be very discreet.
The Strasbourg office of French anti-sex trade NGO Mouvement du Nid
said the European Parliament has no impact on levels of street
prostitution: The parliamentarians are not interested in street
prostitutes. They prefer escort girls, call girls of a slightly higher
level. They find little adverts and make telephone calls. That's how
they take care of business, the NGO's Isabelle Collot said.
|
| 29th September |
No Prostitution Day... |
|
| |
Philippines Nutter nonsense in Davao City
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
pia.gov.ph
|
Some
non-government organizations in Davao City will be observing October 5
as the day of No Prostitution.
It's a day of no prostitution that includes no pornography, phone sex,
cyber sex, mail-order bride services, trafficking, strip dancing, sex
tours and prostitution in massage parlors, on the streets.
The no prostitution campaign is the culminating activity of the First
Mindanao Conference of Women and Children in Prostitution.
Figures from the City Health Office showed that there are 2,411
registered prostituted women in the city while an NGO cited some 4,000
prostituted women doing their freelance job.
These groups are against the government's schemes that encourage
prostitution including the occupational permit and appointment cards
which are issued to women to work in clubs, and other establishments.
The nutter groups also urges the city council to pass a resolution in
the passage of Senate Bill 2066 or the Anti-Prostitution Bill which
seeks to decriminalize the victim of prostitution and punish the
perpetrator.
|
| 27th September |
I am a Number, I am Not a Free Man... |
|
| |
UK ID cards unveiled
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Jacqui
Smith has unveiled the UK's new identity card.
The credit card-sized plastic cards carried a picture of a bull - in common
with other European Union identity cards - as well as five stars drawn from
the stars on the official flag of the EU.
The card is to be initially issued to people outside the EU renewing their
permission to stay in the UK as students or on the basis of marriage.
Between 50,000 and 60,000 cards, which will initially cost £30 each, will be
issued by the end of next March and ministers predict one million a year
will be handed out from 2010.
The cards contain the individual's name, their photograph, the card's expiry
date and details of how long they can stay in the country.
Other information includes people's date and place of birth, their gender,
nationality, and whether they are entitled to benefits.
Biometric data, including copies of all of the person's fingerprints, will
be stored on a special security chip.
The card will start to be issued on November 25 to foreign nationals at
offices in Croydon, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham and Cardiff.
From next year anyone working in the restricted areas in Britain's airports
would need to have an ID card and it will be made generally available to
British citizens from 2011. Those cards, which will be voluntary, may look
different and display different information but they will enable the holder
to travel without a passport around the EU.
The Conservatives reaffirmed the party's commitment to scrapping ID cards if
they win the next election, likely in 2010. Shadow home secretary Dominic
Grieve said: ID cards are an expensive white elephant that risk making us
less - not more safe. It is high time the Government scrapped this ill-fated
project.
|
| 25th September |
Malintent... |
|
| |
US developing lie detector like airport scanner
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
 |
|
Suspicious! He got the
green
light from the scanner!
...Normal people get
all hostile over aggressive
treatment from border operatives |
The US Department of Homeland Security is testing a type of body scanner
that seeks out invisible clues that a person might be harbouring criminal
intent, such as raised body temperature, pulse and breathing rate.
The system, called MALINTENT, uses a raft of "non-invasive" sensors and
imagers to detect such factors remotely - subjects are not hooked up to
anything. It also evaluates a person's facial expression to help to gauge
whether they could be planning to commit an attack or crime.
The technology, developed by the Human Factors division of Homeland
Security's directorate for Science and Technology, would be used at border
checkpoints, airports and special events that require security screening.
Unlike current technology which aims to detect devices such as guns or
explosives, it focuses on the person who could pose the threat.
The technology, dubbed Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST,
deploys a range of innovative physiological and behavioural technologies
to pick up indications of malintent or the intent or desire to cause
harm, according to the DHS.
It would take imaging and sensor technologies to observe physiological
changes that might indicate intent to harm, such as skin temperature, pulse,
respiration and gestures, said Amy Kudwa, a DHS spokeswoman.
She added it would be capable of distinguishing between someone with a
hostile intent and a plane passenger, for example, who was merely stressed
about missing a connection.
We're still very early on in this research, but it is looking very
promising, John Verrico, a DHS spokesman, told New Scientist. We are
running at about 78% accuracy on mal-intent detection, and 80% on deception.
If the sensors pick up anything considered alarming, analysts can decide
whether to subject a person to questioning.
|
| 25th September |
Nightlife Repression... |
|
| |
Katmandu strike against 11pm nightlife closing time
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
axilltv.com
|
Hundreds
of bar owners and workers in the Nepalese capital blocked traffic and vandalized
vehicles Wednesday to protest new closing hours imposed by the government.
The Home Ministry earlier this month issued an order that night entertainment
establishments would have to close by 11 p.m. in the Thamel area, a tourist hub
and nightlife center in Katmandu. The ministry said it was 'necessary' to impose
an earlier closing time in order to control growing crime in the city.
Hundreds of people working in bars, nightclubs and discotheques forced
shopkeepers in the main markets to close their stores. Some protesters
vandalized taxis and public vans whose owners had defied their call for a
general strike.
The Organization of Nightlife Business entrepreneurs said in a statement their
protests would continue until the government withdraws the new closing hours.
Clubs in the past have remained open past midnight until the early hours of the
morning.
Update:
Providing Jobs
29th September 2008
Prominent women rights activist Sapana Malla Pradhan today cautioned that
closure of dance bars and night clubs could force a large number of women
currently employed there into prostitution.
"The problems won't be solved without offering alternative jobs to women who
have been eking out their living by dancing," said Pradhan who is also a CPN-UML
Constituent Assembly member. "The government should provide jobs or else it will
prove that the government is forcing these women into prostitution."
Speaking at a program "Questions at policy level vis-à-vis HIV and AIDS"
organized by several organizations including the European Union here in Pokhara,
she demanded that the government regulate such dance bars with necessary laws,
instead of pulling their shutters down forcefully.
Update:
Prohibiting Off Sales
29th September 2008
Nepal has also begun cracking down on the sale of alcohol and tobacco goods in
the Himalayan republic, closing duty-free spirit shops at the sole international
airport and confiscating bottles stowed away in passengers' luggage.
The internal revenue department issued the first notification late last week,
warning shops that stock essential goods for daily use, like groceries, that
they have till Nov 17 to comply with the new rules or face stiff punishment.
Earlier, liquor was available freely in shops throughout Nepal and there was no
drinking age limit. Only licensed sellers can now sell alcohol. However, even
they need to renew their licence for the current financial year.
Department stores will have to construct separate rooms to display their spirit
and tobacco products. Ordinary shops selling essential goods will either have to
acquire a licence and build a separate room for alcohol and tobacco products or
return such goods to the manufacturers.
|
| 24th September |
Think Twice About Paying For Sex... |
|
| |
Home Office press release about new prostitution laws
Permalink |
No suggestion of any defence of simply not realising that a prostitute
is 'controlled'.
So it looks like the Government is generating more human rights
abusing legislation that will arbitrarily lock up men without them
realising that they have committed an offence.
Thanks to Donald
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
 |
|
Human Rights Abuser |
Home Office press release:
THINK TWICE ABOUT PAYING FOR SEX
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today announced her intention to work with the
police and other partners to outlaw paying for sex with someone controlled for
another person's gain. This is aimed at protecting vulnerable individuals, for
example those who have been trafficked or exploited in some other way.
This follows a six month Government review into tackling the demand for
prostitution, which explored both the legislative and non-legislative options
available as well as learning from the experiences of other countries such as
Sweden and Holland.
The review identified a number of measures to improve the protection of
vulnerable women including criminalising those supporting the exploitation by
purchasing sex from them.
The Home Secretary also announced:
- A crackdown on kerb-crawlers - removing the need to prove that a
person has acted persistently. This will ensure that kerb-crawlers can
be prosecuted on a first offence
- New powers to close premises associated with prostitution -
allowing police to close brothels for a period of three months. At the
moment, police can only close premises associated with prostitution if
anti-social behaviour or Class A drugs are involved
The Home Secretary also indicated her intention to give greater powers to local
people and Local Authorities to control the opening and regulation of
lap-dancing clubs, through changes in legislation.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:
The Government has a responsibility to protect those who
have been groomed or trafficked into prostitution, or for those who remain
involved for fear of violence from a partner or a pimp. So we will start work to
outlaw paying for sex with someone forced into prostitution at another's will or
controlled for another's gain.
Communities shouldn't have to put up with street prostitution. The package of
measures I have announced today will help the police and local people to crack
down on it.
Minister for Women and Equality Harriet Harman said:
We must protect women from being victims of human trafficking – the modern slave
trade.
The trade only exists because men buy sex, so to protect women we must stop men
buying sex from the victims of human trafficking.
Commenting on the potential new regulation of lap-dancing clubs, Communities
Secretary Hazel Blears said:
Local people are often best placed to know the needs of their area and to
find home-grown solutions.
These new measures, alongside the robust planning powers councils already have,
will see communities taking ownership/control of the environment in which they
live, ensuring safer, more welcoming neighbourhoods.
Communities have an important role to play in tackling the local issues that can
affect their everyday lives and their neighbours' welfare.
Justice Minister Maria Eagle said:
I welcome these measures which underline the importance
the Government places on ensuring the appropriate protection and safety for
women involved in street prostitution and the wider community.
Notes to Editors:
1. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced a package of new offences designed to
tackle various forms of sexual exploitation. These included:
• Causing of inciting prostitution for gain
• Controlling prostitution for gain
• Trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation
There are however currently no specific offences to tackle those who pay or
offer to pay for sex with someone who has been trafficked or exploited, unless
there is sufficient evidence to prove that person knew the person selling sex
did not consent to sexual intercourse. In these situations, the police and
prosecutors would look at prosecution for rape. The Government's intention is to
look at criminalising those who pay or offer to pay for sex with victims of
these crimes in order to deter the sex buyers who fuel illegal exploitative and
coercive practices, as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
2. In England and Wales, the act of purchasing sex is not a criminal offence.
There are, however, offences that effectively prohibit individuals from paying
for sex on the street or in a public place. The Sexual Offences Act 1985
introduced two distinct offences which can be used to prosecute those who buy
sex:
• kerb crawling (where someone solicits from a motor vehicle, or within the
vicinity of a motor vehicle), for the purposes of prostitution, persistently or
in a manner that is likely to cause annoyance to people in the neighbourhood; or
• persistent soliciting for the purposes of prostitution (effectively kerb
crawling but without a vehicle)
The Government now intends to remove the 'persistence' requirement from both
offences and in the case of kerb-crawling to remove the alternative requirement
of "in a manner that is likely to cause annoyance to people in the
neighbourhood". The purpose is to make it possible to prosecute the kerb crawler
in the first instance, increasing the deterrent to those who consider paying for
sex on the street or in a public place.
3. At present, the police have no powers to close premises associated with the
sexual exploitation of adults or children, unless there is sufficient evidence
to warrant the use of a premise closure order or a crack house closure order.
However, many premises where sexual exploitation takes place will not be
associated with anti-social behaviour or the use, supply or production of Class
A drugs. This means that in practice, premises that are subject to police
investigations for offences relating to sexual exploitation can reopen and begin
operating again quickly.
The Government now intends to introduce a new order that allows for such
premises to be closed and sealed for a set period, providing an opportunity for
agencies to act swiftly and decisively to prevent further exploitation and abuse
from taking place. The order will prohibit entry to the premises by any
individual for a period of three months.
4. The results of the recent lap dancing consultation made it clear that Local
Authorities in England and Wales felt that the Licensing Act 2003 offers little
or no opportunity for local communities to object to lap dancing clubs opening
in their local area and has limited powers for Local Authorities to control the
growth of these establishments. Difficulties arise where residents and local
authorities try to use the current legislation to tackle general concerns about
these clubs being situated in a particular area (for example, near schools,
historic tourist areas or churches) or because of concerns about equality,
public decency, obscenity and the sexual exploitation of women.
The Government now intends to give greater powers to Local Authorities and local
communities to control the opening and regulation of lap dancing clubs and will
do this in consultation with stakeholders through legislation as soon as
Parliamentary time allows.
|
| 23rd September |
A Positive Step... |
|
| |
Queensland plans advocacy service for safer sex and safer prostitution
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
nydailynews.com
|
The
state government of Queensland, Australia, has unveiled plans for an advocacy
service that could include extolling the positive side of prostitution.
The $333,000 a year program would include free or discounted safe-sex products
for prostitutes and sexual health education programs for the sex workers, the
Brisbane Courier-Mail reported.
The Prostitution Licensing Authority, the government's sex industry regulator,
is pushing for Premier Anna Bligh's government to also include community
advocacy for prostitutes in the program: The service should contribute to a
more balanced and positive view of sex workers in the general community,
assisting to overcome the stigma attached to prostitution.
|
| 22nd September |
Out of Control... |
|
| |
New Labour continue their quest to imprison anyone who tries to enjoy life
Permalink |
The phrase: controlled for another person's gain, sounds
worryingly vagueBased on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
 |
|
Don't fuck with
Jacqui Smith
...she's 'controlled' by
Gordon Brown |
Kerb-crawling and soliciting for prostitutes on the streets are to be outlawed
as part of a mean minded tightening of the law, the home secretary, Jacqui
Smith, announced.
Smith outlined a three-point plan at the Labour conference that will:
- Remove the requirement that only persistent kerb crawlers and men
who solicit on the street can be prosecuted. An alternative
requirement for kerb-crawlers - that they act in a manner that is
likely to cause annoyance to people in the neighbourhood - is also
to be removed. The changes will mean that kerb-crawlers and men
soliciting sex on the street can be prosecuted after a first offence.
- Give new powers to councils and the police to close down brothels
for at least three months if prostitutes are being run by a pimp or
have been trafficked. At the moment, police can only close brothels if
there is anti-social behaviour and if Class-A drugs are involved.
- Change the law so that men can be prosecuted if they pay for sex
with women who are exploited - controlled for another person's gain,
as Smith said. Currently, police can only pursue a prosecution if they
can prove that the women did not consent to sex, which means they have
to compile evidence of rape.
The home secretary also announced that communities will be given more say in
lap-dancing clubs opening in their areas.
Smith announced the new measures on prostitution after a six-month government
review into prostitution that focused on how Sweden and the Netherlands deal
with the problem.
We will do more to tackle the blight of street prostitution, Smith told
the Labour conference in Manchester. At the moment only persistent
kerb-crawling is outlawed. In my book, once around the block is once too many -
and so we'll make kerb-crawling punishable as a first offence.
The government will also toughen the law to prosecute men who pay for sex with
women who are run by a pimp or who have been trafficked. Harriet Harman,
Labour's deputy leader who is also equality minister, said: We must protect
women from being victims of human trafficking - the modern slave trade. The
trade only exists because men buy sex, so to protect women we must stop men
buying sex from the victims of human trafficking.
Based on
article
from
theargus.co.uk
A Government source later confirmed that legislation will be introduced
in the next Parliamentary session, which starts in November, with a view to
changing the licensing rules by the middle of next year.
It is not yet known whether lap dancing clubs will in future be placed in the
same category as sex establishments such as sex shops and adult cinemas, or
whether a new category will be created for them. It is also unclear whether
existing clubs will be forced to reapply for new licenses when the reforms come
into effect.
The Government source told The Argus full details would be determined shortly
but stressed the aim of the legislation would be to “make it much more
difficult” for new lap dancing clubs to open.
|
| 21st September |
I Don't Buy It... |
|
| |
What made Labour change their mind about locking up buyers of sex?
Permalink |
Thanks to Donald
|
 |
|
Off with their dicks! |
It seems that Labour will compromise over their mean minded intentions
to criminalise people who buy sex. They will now limit this to the
rare cases of buying sex from those coerced into providing it
(Hopefully with leniency should customers be unaware of the coercion)
It would be fascinating to know how this apparent change of heart came
about. Up until now, all Government ministers involved have been
positively salivating over the thought of locking up men who pay for
sex.
Earlier in September Gordon Brown was very positive about both
agreeing with the policy to lock up men buying sex and also supporting
Harriet to implement the policy.
On 4th of September Number 10 issued the following
press briefing:
Asked if the Prime Minister backed Harriet
Harman in her crusade to make paying for sex illegal, the PMS replied
that Harriet Harman was a Government Minister and as such had the
Prime Minister’s backing.
Asked to clarify if the Prime Minister was backing Harriet Harman in
her job as Minister responsible for such matters or the view that
prostitution should be legalised, the PMS replied that the Prime
Minister had full support for Harriet Harman.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought that there should be a law banning
the purchase of sex, the PMS referred journalists to the relevant
department on that question.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was socially and morally
acceptable to buy sex, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister did not
think this.
|
| 21st September |
Dirty Tactics... |
|
| |
South Korean police seize baths and beds in prostitution raids
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
afp.google.com
|
South
Korean police said they have seized beds and bathtubs weighing a total
of 100 tons during a crackdown on prostitution in the capital Seoul.
They said the items and others were confiscated and destroyed during
raids on dozens of massage parlours and brothels in the city's eastern
district of Jangan.
A massage parlour owner committed suicide in protest at the crackdown
which began on July 28, but police vowed to step up their campaign
against prostitution, which is illegal in South Korea.
On Wednesday police set up a 270-member special unit to tackle the crime
in Seoul.
|
| 21st September |
Thigh Slapper?... |
|
| |
Ugandan ethics minister with weak mentality distracted by miniskirts
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
 |
|
Miniskirts
distracting?...
Surely not |
Uganda's ethics and integrity minister says miniskirts should be
banned - because women wearing them distract drivers and cause traffic
accidents.
Nsaba Buturo told journalists in Kampala that wearing a miniskirt was
like walking naked in the streets: What's wrong with a miniskirt? You
can cause an accident because some of our people are weak mentally.
Wearing a miniskirt should be regarded as indecent, which
would be punishable under Ugandan law, Buturo said.
The BBC's Joshua Mmali in Kampala, the capital, said journalists
found the minister's comments extremely funny.
|
| 20th September |
Finnish Model... |
|
| |
UK appears to back off from criminalising the buying of sex
Permalink |
The UK government seems to have adopted the
Finnish Model where only the purchasing of sex from trafficked or
coerced people is criminalised.
From
Punternet: If this law sounds lunatic, it’s because it’s a
compromise. In this way both supporters and opponents of the buying of
sex are supposed to be happy. This law did indeed garner support from
both camps and was easy to pass. The law is neither very radical nor
very effective. Yet it is both an ethical statement of the sort one camp
wanted and it keeps prostitution itself legal as the other camp wanted.
Thanks to Don
Based on
article
from
timesonline.co.uk
|
Men
who buy sex from women who have been coerced into prostitution or
trafficked for sexual exploitation would be prosecuted under proposals
to be announced by the Home Secretary.
It would be an offence in England and Wales to pay for sex if the woman
was being controlled by a pimp, had been coerced into the sex trade or
was trafficked into Britain for sexual exploitation. Last year Jacqui
Smith said: We recognise that there is considerable support for us to
do more to tackle the demand for prostitution and to prevent the
trafficking of people for sexual exploitation.
Gordon Brown recently indicated his determination to legislate in this
area, when his spokesman said that he believed it was wrong for men to
pay for sex.
The Home Secretary will make clear that the measure will not affect sole
traders or women selling sex of their own free will. The move represents
a compromise solution to demands from some senior members of the
Government to criminalise the purchase of all sex. Police were concerned
about the practicalities of a law banning any payment for sex.
Exact details of the new offence and the penalties to be imposed are yet
to be worked out. Ministers believe that the measure will act as a
deterrent to international human trafficking.
Operation Pentameter 2, a six-month police campaign, has shown the
extent of the sex trade industry but uncovered little in the way of
trafficking that it was targeting.
Update:
Fascinating
21st September, thanks to Donald
 |
|
Off with their dicks! |
It would be fascinating to know how this apparent change of heart came
about. Up until now, all Government ministers involved have been
positively salivating over the thought of locking up men who pay for
sex.
Earlier in September Gordon Brown was very positive about both
agreeing with the policy to lock up men buying sex and also supporting
Harriet to implement the policy.
On 4th of September Number 10 issued the following
press briefing:
Asked if the Prime Minister backed Harriet
Harman in her crusade to make paying for sex illegal, the PMS replied
that Harriet Harman was a Government Minister and as such had the
Prime Minister’s backing.
Asked to clarify if the Prime Minister was backing Harriet Harman in
her job as Minister responsible for such matters or the view that
prostitution should be legalised, the PMS replied that the Prime
Minister had full support for Harriet Harman.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought that there should be a law banning
the purchase of sex, the PMS referred journalists to the relevant
department on that question.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was socially and morally
acceptable to buy sex, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister did not
think this.
|
| 20th September |
Cross Sex Workers... |
|
| |
Rome prostitutes to dress as nuns to confuse mean minded legislation
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Prostitutes
in Italy who have been ordered to stop wearing skimpy clothing while
they tout for business in broad daylight plan to dress as nuns instead.
By donning nuns' black and white habits street walkers hope to make the
tough new legislation so confusing that it becomes unworkable.
Thousands of women, many of them from Eastern Europe and South America,
sell themselves for sex on the side of major roads leading in and out of
Italy's main cities, where brothels and red light districts are banned.
But they face a crackdown from the centre-right government of Silvio
Berlusconi, as well as individual city councils such as Rome, Milan and
Florence.
The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, unveiled a decree this week which
will ban the capital's thousands of street prostitutes from wearing
unseemly and indecent clothing, saying the sight of barely clothed
young women distracted male motorists and caused accidents.
Even the way in which sex workers stand is under scrutiny - the decree
bans the women from adopting poses or behaviour or wearing clothing
that unequivocally manifest the intention to solicit or practise the
activity of prostitution.
Sex worker welfare groups have called the decree absurd and have pledged
to challenge it in any way they can.
We'll dress as nuns so that the police will arrest scantily dressed
girls outside discos or other women with their cleavage on show,
said Pia Covre, of the Committee for the Rights of Prostitutes.
In Florence, for example, the mayor has forbidden girls from walking
up and down and we are thinking of going around on bicycles instead.
Meanwhile police in Rome have issued more than 100 prostitutes and 40 of
their clients with spot fines of 200 euros (£158) since the new decree
was introduced on Tuesday.
The sex workers were mostly from Romania, Colombia and Brazil. Many of
the women have refused to pay the fines, which the mayor has said could
increase to 500 euros by next month.
The Rome decree came after the Italian government last week agreed to
outlaw prostitution in public places, recommending prison terms of up to
15 days and fines of 200 to 13,000 euros for prostitutes and their
clients.
The mayor said his order would be valid until January 31, 2009, when the
parliament is expected to adopt the government's proposed law.
The proposed law does not ban prostitution altogether because it does
not outlaw sex work as a private business.
|
| 20th September |
Remembering the Old Days... |
|
| |
The rise and fall of Toronto's Yonge Street
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
theeyeopener.com
|
It’s
hard to find a decent peeler on Toronto's Yonge Street these days. There
are only three strip clubs, one porn cinema and a handful of sex
accessory shops now.
But in the 1970s, Yonge was the dirtiest street in Canada. Body-rub
parlours, porno vendors, cinemas and clubs lined the strip south of
Bloor. There was music on the street. Tourists visited Yonge for the
atmosphere and not the Eaton Centre.
Valerie Scott worked in the body-rub parlours on Yonge during the ’70s:
There wasn’t a lot of violence, hardly any. I never even came across
any at all, all the times I worked in the massage parlours. I think
because we worked together, there were always two or three or four of us
working in a place. And it was just nice to hang out with the other
women in between clients.
The first body-rub parlour opened in the spring of 1971. They grew in
tandem with the Yonge Street Mall, an annual festival held between 1971
and 1973.
Parts of Yonge from Gerrard to Queen were closed to traffic and vendors
moved into the street. The sex industry thrived on the increase in
street business the mall provided. The body rub parlours also filled an
economic niche on the street and kept Yonge going, taking advantage of
real estate that other businesses didn’t want.
It filled a vacumn. The stores were there, it was the centre of the
city. Landlords were pretty desperate because they couldn’t get serious
retailers to go there, says Ron Soskolne, Toronto’s chief planner in
the ‘70s.
The increase in people attracted by the mall, however, meant an increase
in crime. Some businesses complained they were losing money just as the
parlours were flourishing. The mall became a financial liability for the
city and was shut down in the summer of 1973. The parlours, however,
remained. In just four years, there were more than 100 of them.
The party ended in 1977. On July 28, four men lured 12-year-old Emanuel
Jaques, who worked on Yonge shining shoes, into an apartment above
Charlie’s Angels, a body-rub parlour across from the just-opened Eaton
Centre. Jaques was restrained and sexually assaulted over 12 hours, then
strangled and drowned. The murder shocked the public and provided the
city and local businesses with a moral martyr to rally behind. Many of
the sex businesses threw in the towel rather than endure the legal
shitstorm. Some were closed down by the bawdy-house law, which gives
authorities the legal right to close down any place in which
prostitution occurs. Whether or not prostitution was indeed happening
was beside the point. None of the businesses could afford to fight both
the government and the public. At the time of Jaques’ murder, there were
40 parlours on Yonge. By November there were four and in December the
last one closed its doors.
The body-run era was over.
By the early 80s, Scott found herself dancing at the Zanzibar. The
Zanzibar was a happening place. That place was packed on the weekends.
Even during the week it was busy in the evenings and they had good
quality shows. This is before table and lap dancing. It was far more
burlesque. You didn’t have anything on the stage like showers or poles.
The stage was nice, it was a good hardwood stage. Good for dancing.
The strip clubs continued to do well, but Yonge Street decayed in the
80s.
After nearly 15 years of planning, Toronto Life Square finally opened
last year. Yonge has become an epileptic’s nightmare. Neon signs
advertising the latest cell phone plans flash electric kool-aid over
newly erected condos. It’s a 21st century circus, with a size that fits
for anyone with cash to spend.
The sex industry is still there, but it’s only a shadow of its former
self. The Zanzibar, the Brass Rail and Remington’s are the only strip
clubs left. A porn cinema commands a second-floor perch on the east side
of Yonge. Only a few sex shops remain.
|
| 20th September |
Utter Poppycock... |
|
| |
Poppy Project's report is shocking, but it leaves vital questions unanswered
Permalink |
See
article
from
guardian.co.uk by
Diane Taylor
|
The
new research by the Poppy Project, Big Brothel, a survey of the
off-street sex industry in Lodon, has generated shock and headlines that
sex can be purchased in London for as little as £15 and highlighted the
fact that sex without condoms is available.
However, closer inspection of the data reveals that only 2% of brothels
contacted by phone by researchers offer sex without condoms. This leaves
a very impressive 98% of establishments insisting on condom use. Many
brothels charge for the amount of time a customer spends with a sex
worker and the £15 fee quoted does not specify whether or not this is
for a 10- or 15-minute appointment. Certainly, according to the
research, the average fee is more than £60, with some charging up to
£250 for sex. The survey found no concrete evidence of girls under 18
working in brothels – the average age was 21.
...
Evidence from the recent police and Home Office joint operation –
Pentameter Two – a comprehensive and intelligence-led sweep of brothels
across the land, netted only double figures of suspected trafficking
victims. Denis MacShane has quoted a figure of 25,000 trafficked women
and children in this country. Where are the others? Either the police
are doing a lousy job at flushing them out or more likely, they're not
here in the numbers quoted.
...Read full
article
I'm a sex worker – don't take away my
livelihood
See also
article
from
guardian.co.uk
by Lara
The 'Big Brothel' report paints women in my industry as victims. Some
may be – but to generalise is patronising and offensive.
I work from a flat on which I pay the mortgage – I do not have any
landlord to worry about. I charge £150 per hour and I get enough
enquiries to enable me to choose my own working hours. In a typical day
I drop my children off at school at 9am, return home, shower and get
changed into my alter-ego, Lara (we never use our own names). I then
might have an hour's appointment at 11am and another at 1pm, leaving me
with a break of an hour in between to shower and refresh myself. I then
fetch myself a late lunch and am at the school again to collect my
children at 3:30pm. It works. I never see more than two clients a day;
most days I see only one; on other days none at all. Yet in just three
hours' work I can earn the same as I used to earn in a week working at
the office.
My clients are on the whole middle-aged businessmen. I have never been
treated with anything less than respect by any one of them. I have not
been physically or sexually abused by any of them. Of course I have my
security systems in place should anything go wrong, but so far nothing
has. My children have their mother now, and not just on a part-time
basis. I have time with them to enjoy their childhoods, without any of
us suffering financially. I am not making big bucks – but I am earning a
little more money to boot.
...Read full
article
|
| 20th September |
Panopticon Highway... |
|
| |
How many more freedoms will we sacrifice in the name of security?
Permalink |
See
article
from
guardian.co.uk
by Henry Porter
|
Every
time you travel by road in Britain, your car will be tracked by the police. How
many more freedoms will we sacrifice in the name of security?
The police ANPR database, which the Guardian today reveals will retain
information from 50 million road journeys a day for five years, is a system that
was never sanctioned or debated in parliament and which threatens the freedom of
movement, assembly and protest.
Presented simply as a tool to fight crime and terror by the police, it will
become one of the cornerstones of the surveillance state, and will give the
police far too much power to track, in real time, the movement of people who may
be bound for legitimate demonstrations and protest rallies.
Linked with the government's proposals to seize all our communications data to
be announced in the Queen's speech this autumn, this move signifies a profound
change in our society and an irreversible transfer of power from free
individuals to the state.
...Read full
article
|
| 19th September |
Paying For It 47 Years On... |
|
| |
Spanish FemNazis whinge at politician who paid for sex as a youth
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
africa.reuters.com
|
A
Spanish politician's public description of how he lost his
virginity in a brothel has angered his female counterparts, who
accused him of encouraging prostitution.
Miguel Angel Revilla, head of the government of the northern
region of Cantabria, told a television interviewer earlier this
week that he had paid the first time he had sex at the age of
18.
Female members of the regional parliament from the opposition
conservative Popular Party were outraged. As the head of the
regional government, he should be an example for the young
people of Cantabria, they said in a communique.
Revilla retorted: There are major problems which need
to be addressed now, not what a poor 18-year-old did who is now
65, adding: 99% of Spanish men did it back then.
|
| 18th September |
Early to Bed... |
|
| |
Nepal bar workers protest at Government repression of their industry
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
reuters.com
|
Hundreds
of disco workers protested in Kathmandu on Monday against a government crackdown
on "nude dancing".
Police have raided scores of discos, nightclubs and dance bars in the past two
weeks and detained 1,500 people saying many were running bars where "nude
dances" were performed, not allowed by law in the Hindu majority society.
There are hundreds of such night spots in the Kathmandu valley, although the
country has no specific law to regulate them.
A Maoist-led government which took power in August has already ordered the bars
should be closed an hour before midnight.
Bar and disco operators are protesting the move would jeopardize their business
and render 80,000 people jobless.
Police official Sarbendra Khanal said those dancing nude in bars as well as
their clients would be charged under the public offence act. If found guilty
they could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined $400.
|
| 18th September |
Window Gallery... |
|
| |
London's National Gallery to exhibit Amsterdam red light installation
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
Amsterdam's
infamous red-light district is to be recreated in central London's National
Gallery.
Visitors will peep through windows and doorways at mannequins dressed as
prostitutes in the installation.
The Hoerengracht, by US artists Ed and Nancy Kienholz, will open in November
next year.
A gallery spokesman said it would "shed light" on its collection of Dutch 17th
Century masters. These will include Jan Steen's Interior of an Inn, a bawdy pub
scene, and de Hooch's Musical Party in a Courtyard.
The gallery's head of education, Colin Wiggins, said: Visitors will be able
to walk into the installation, which is like a succession of streets.
Wiggins said the gallery would not warn children against entering the
installation: If you look at the National Gallery as a whole, there are more
things to warn against.
|
| 17th September |
Mile High Censors... |
|
| |
Qantas to restrict internet access to a few safe and crappy websites
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
smh.com.au
|
 |
|
Tissue Sir?
A good job you brought your own porn
The Qantas selection is bollox |
Qantas has shelved plans to offer live internet access on its
A380 planes from next month as American Airlines comes under
fire from nutters and flight attendants for allowing passengers
to surf porn websites.
Qantas will instead offer only a limited selection of what it
calls cached internet content and access to web-based
email and chat services.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the internet plans had been paired
back due to logistical and regulatory issues encountered
by its connectivity provider, OnAir. The airline said the full
internet service was now scheduled to be available later in
2009.
The lack of a full internet service will most likely disappoint
many passengers who will have to make do with a limited
selection of cached internet content. Qantas has refused
to give further details of what content will be included - other
than qantas.com - or how much the service would cost.
Laptop power sockets will be provided for every passenger. USB
ports, also built into every seat, will potentially allow
passengers to access multimedia content from music players and
portable hard drives through the seat-back screens.
|
| 17th September |
Inciting Censorial Desire... |
|
| |
Indonesian Sharia anti-porn bill resurfaces
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
adnkronos.com
|
An
anti-pornography bill which is before the Indonesian Parliament may hurt
tourism on the island of Bali, some officials have claimed.
The bill, currently in draft form in the House of Representatives,
defines pornography as acts that incite sexual desire.
The repressive legislation defines pornography as sexual materials in
the form of drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs, text, sound,
moving pictures, animation, cartoons, poetry, conversations or any other
form of communicative messages.
But some say the legislation could go as far as jailing people for
kissing in public.
Experts see the bill as contentious, because traditional dress in Bali
and the sparse clothing and swimwear worn by tourists, could be viewed
as pornographic under the legislation.
The island's tourism will clearly suffer should the house pass the
bill, said Ngurah Wijaya, head of the Bali Tourism Board.
Bagus Sudibya, a tourism expert, acknowledged the moral stance behind
the bill's inception, but warned against hidden agendas in the process
to pass it into law. Bagus said the bill should focus on defining
explicit pornography designed to arouse sexual desire or exploit women,
and not condemn artwork depicting nudity: Many of Bali's trademark
attractions are in close connection with its arts, which occasionally
depicts women in the nude.
Last Friday, an Indonesian Islamic party, the Prosperous Justice Party
said the anti-pornography bill could be a Ramadan present" for
Muslims.
The draft bill has been before the Parliament for three years and there
is speculation that it may be passed in a few weeks.
|
| 17th September |
Car Spotting... |
|
| |
Police nearly ready to turn on mega database of vehicle journeys
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
The
UK police are to expand a car surveillance operation that will allow
them to record and store details of millions of daily journeys for up to
five years, the Guardian has learned.
A national network of roadside cameras will be able to "read" 50m
licence plates a day, enabling officers to reconstruct the journeys of
motorists.
Police have been encouraged to fully and strategically exploit
the database, which is already recording the whereabouts of 10 million
drivers a day, during investigations ranging from counter-terrorism to
low-level crime.
But it has raised concerns from civil rights campaigners, who question
whether the details should be kept for so long, and want clearer
guidance on who might have access to the material.
The project relies on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras
to pinpoint the precise time and location of all vehicles on the road.
Senior officers had promised the data would be stored for two years. But
responding to inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act, the Home
Office has admitted the data is now being kept for five years.
Thousands of CCTV cameras across the country have been converted to read
ANPR data, capturing people's movements in cars on motorways, main
roads, airports and town centres. Local authorities have since adapted
their own CCTV systems to capture licence plates on behalf of police,
massively expanding the network of available cameras. Mobile cameras
have been installed in patrol cars and unmarked vehicles parked by the
side of roads. Police helicopters have been equipped with infrared
cameras that can read licence plates from 610 metres (2,000ft).
In four months' time, when a nationwide network of cameras is fully
operational, the National ANPR Data Centre in Hendon, north London, will
record up to 50m licence plates a day.
Officers can access the database to find uninsured cars, locate illegal
"duplicate" licence plates and track the movements of criminals. The
Acpo adds that the database will deter criminals through increased
likelihood of detection.
The director of Privacy International, Simon Davies, said last night the
database would give police extraordinary powers of surveillance. This
would never be allowed in any other democratic country. This is possibly
one of the most valuable reserves of data imaginable.
|
| 14th September |
Hands Off British Justice!... |
|
| |
Sharia arbitration courts now official in the UK
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
timesonline.co.uk
|
 |
|
Ms MuslimExWife...
You will go home
with NOTHING! |
Islamic 'law' has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts
given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.
The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to
rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those
involving domestic violence.
Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with
the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High
Court.
Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be
enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.
It has now emerged that sharia courts with these powers have been set up
in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network’s
headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being
planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the
courts, said he had taken advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act
1996. Under the act, the sharia courts are classified as arbitration
tribunals. The rulings of arbitration tribunals are binding in law,
provided that both parties in the dispute agree to give it the power to
rule on their case.
Siddiqi said: We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make
rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows
disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method
is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the
sharia courts are.
Jewish Beth Din courts operate under the same provision in the
Arbitration Act and resolv civil cases, ranging from divorce to business
disputes. They have existed in Britain for more than 100 years, and
previously operated under a precursor to the act.
Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, said: If it is true that
these tribunals are passing binding decisions in the areas of family and
criminal law, I would like to know which courts are enforcing them
because I would consider such action unlawful. British law is absolute
and must remain so.
Douglas Murray, the director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said:
I think it’s appalling. I don’t think arbitration that is done by sharia
should ever be endorsed or enforced by the British state.”
There are concerns that women who agree to go to tribunal courts are
getting worse deals because Islamic law favours men.
Siddiqi said that in a recent inheritance dispute handled by the court
in Nuneaton, the estate of a Midlands man was divided between three
daughters and two sons. The judges on the panel gave the sons twice as
much as the daughters, in accordance with sharia. Had the family gone to
a normal British court, the daughters would have got equal amounts.
In the six cases of domestic violence, Siddiqi said the judges ordered
the husbands to take anger management classes and mentoring from
community elders. There was no further punishment. In each case, the
women subsequently withdrew the complaints they had lodged with the
police and the police stopped their investigations.
|
| 12th September |
Mean Minded in Italy... |
|
| |
Prostitution to be outlawed in Italy
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
iht.com
|
Italian
Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Cabinet has approved a bill to make
street prostitution a crime.
Currently, prostitution is legal in Italy but brothels and
exploitation are not.
Thursday's measure would outlaw prostitution in public places
like streets and parks. If the bill is approved by Parliament,
prostitutes and clients will face up to 15 days in jail and
fines of up to US$4,228 (€3,000), news reports said.
Minister of Equal Opportunities Mara Carfagna says she hopes the
measure will deal a blow to prostitution rackets.
Italy outlawed brothels 50 years ago but roadside prostitution
has been tolerated, with prostitutes, many of them foreigners,
commonly seen on the edges of Italy's major cities.
|
| 11th September |
Mile High Wankers... |
|
| |
Flight attendants want onboard internet access to be censored
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
statesman.com
|
 |
|
Tissue Sir? |
American Airlines flight attendants are urging the world's
largest carrier to filter its in-flight Internet service to
block access to pornography and other web sites the workers said
were inappropriate.
Union leaders discussed the issue with management without making
a formal request to bar specific sites, said David Roscow, a
spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
We've heard a lot of complaints from flight attendants and
passengers about travelers pulling up objectionable Web
pages, said Roscow, who didn't cite any examples.
The vast majority of travelers use good judgment in what
they look at, American spokesman Tim Smith said: Customers
viewing inappropriate material on board a flight is not a new
scenario for our crews, who have always managed this issue with
great success.
American offers Internet access for $12.95 on 15 Boeing Co.
767-200 jets that make 25 daily flights between New York's John
F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles or San
Francisco, and between New York and Miami.
The program is in a 3-6-month trial period, Smith said. When
American reviews usage and feedback, we will obviously assess
this concern as well, including the number of actual incidents
reported and any other related issues.
|
| 11th September |
Nosey Parkies... |
|
| |
Adults without children discouraged from public parks
Permalink |
Surely discouraging adults from parks will end up reducing the
natural policing. It could end up with them feeling lonely, threatening
and inhabited by gangs/groups of youths.
Based on
article
from
shropshirestar.com
|
Council
staff have been ordered to stop and quiz any adults found walking in
Telford Town Park without a child.
Anyone who wants to go to the park but is not accompanied by at least
one youngster will have to explain why they are there.
Telford campaigners battling to retain full public access to the park
today branded the policy draconian and authoritarian madness
but the council defended the policy, claiming it had a responsibility to
protect the vulnerable.
The policy came to light after two environmental campaigners dressed as
penguins were thrown out of the park last month when caught handing out
leaflets on climate change.
Telford & Wrekin Council said Rachel Whittaker and Neil Donaldson of the
Wrekin Stop War pressure group were ejected because they had not
undergone Criminal Records Bureau checks or risk assessments before
entering the park.
David Ottley, Telford & Wrekin’s sports and oppression manager, said in
a letter seen by the Shropshire Star: Our Town Park staff approach
adults that are not associated with any children in the Town Park and
request the reason for them being there. In particular, this applies to
those areas where children or more vulnerable groups gather, such as
play facilities and the entrances to play areas. This is a child safety
precautionary measure which members of staff will continue to undertake
as and when necessary.
Former childcare social worker John Evans said: It is authoritarian
madness which can only be based on ignorance. It appears that the
council wants to use child protection as a cover for anything they don’t
like taking place in the park, like the campaign against global warming
by those two people who were handing out leaflets. It is absurd, it is
insulting and what’s more it is dangerous as it panics people about the
dangers their children face. Councillor Denis Allen, cabinet
member for community services, said: Our staff are asked to approach
adults without children in areas where children gather such as play
areas, using their own judgement and discretion.
Comment:
Telford Bulldozer through their Park Policy 11th September
2008, thanks to David According to someone who lives in the area:
This is a little deeper than you know. The Telford
Town Park was recently almost built over under first a labour
administration and under the first few months of this Conservative
administration. A gentlemen went out into the park to leaflet
people to let them know what was going on. He led a campaign that was
politically embarrassing to the council and its authorities and they
confiscated the leaflets and stopped him handing them out.
He demanded an apology and an explanation.
When the council were pressed for a reason why they took this action,
after many, many attempts to get a reply, the officers came up with this
"policy" as the reason. It's junk made up after the fact to justify what
was in effect an attempt to silence somebody who didn't agree with their
development plans.
Now the same guy raised and won a parish referendum. It made enough fuss
and garnered enough support, with others, to cause the council to
rethink the policy. Though the Park is not certain to be saved in its
entirety the position is now much more secure.
When the two environmental protesters came into the Park dressed as
Penguins, the council were stuck with their recently made up policy and
enforced it. So earning themselves a rebuke from the Home Office as
well.
|
| 11th September |
Victorian Attitudes?... |
|
| |
Victoria minister sounds threatening towards adult entertainment industry
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.com.au
|
New
laws will be introduced in a crackdown on hundreds of
prostitutes who work in Victoria's unlicensed brothels.
Prosecutors will no longer have to prove sex took place to be
able to close down an illegal brothel. Showing a sexual service
was offered or advertised will be enough to get a conviction.
The imminent blitz on illegal brothels has already been approved
by Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson who expects the
Prostitution Control Act amendments to be introduced next month.
He is also keen to control Victoria's sex entertainment
industry. Robinson has ordered CAV to review operations of all
sexually explicit entertainment venues that serve alcohol. He is
considering a new category of licence for such clubs so owners
and operators can be subject to stringent probity checks.
The CAV review will also look at the possibility of banning
those venues from serving alcohol. Robinson said alcohol was
already banned in legal brothels and it made sense to look at
extending that ban to table-top dancing clubs.
|
| 10th September |
Never Again... |
|
| |
Why drinkers do it all again – they only recall the good bits
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
independent.co.uk
|
Some
people drink to forget, but scientists have found that anyone
who binge drinks is more likely to forget only the worst
experiences of being drunk – which is why alcohol is such an
addictive drug.
Alcohol has been found to affect memory in a selective manner.
Drinking makes it easier to remember the good things about a
party but harder to recall the bad things that happen after
having too much.
Studies into the memories of people engaged in heavy drinking
have shown that it is the inability to remember the worst
excesses of a night out – while remembering the happy things
that led up to them – is one of the main causes of repeated
binge drinking.
The effects of alcohol on mood are known contributors to its
use and abuse. It is less known how its effects on memory and
inhibitory control add to alcohol being and addictive drug,
said Professor Theodora Duka of Sussex University: Material
acquired in an intoxicated state is less effectively retrieved
in a sober state. Thus people who abuse alcohol forget the
consequences of intoxication during periods of abstinence.
Alcohol facilitates memories for emotional events experienced
before intoxication – mostly positive – and impairs memories for
emotional events experienced after intoxication – often negative
– biasing memory to positive effects of alcohol, and support
[for] further drinking.
Memory tests on volunteers who were shown emotion-laden images
before, during and after a bout of drinking found there was a
clear degradation in memory as the alcohol began to build up in
their bodies.
Further studies found alcohol also increases the risk of making
wrong judgements and impulsive decisions, especially in women.
This is another reason why drinking can increase the risk of
further bingeing by affecting the brain's control process,
Professor Duka said.
|
| 10th September |
Arrested... |
|
| |
Warning of increased arrests at UK Customs
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
pattayatalk.com
|
I
am involved work-wise with 'Prisoners/Custodies' at a major Court. Over
the last 2 months, I am seeing people being arrested at the Airport for
bringing goods back that, in the past, you
may have been 'OK' with! Well, you might want to re-think if your
bringing back items such as....
- Cigarettes - If your over your allowance by a small/fair bit, you
will now be ARRESTED!
- Souveneir Knives - Any type really. UK is knife crazy at the
moment - ARRESTED!
- Knuckledusters - Might only be for novelty purposes - ARRESTED!
- Stun Gun/Zappers - DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! You WILL go to JAIL!
- Even items such as quantities of Fake Watches or Football Tops
have caused our 'Boyz In Blue' to dish out Warrants of Arrest!
- As for Copy DVD's and the likes - you will get Nicked!
- Fake Clothing seems ok if not in any great quantities. But a wad
of Man United tops
will get you huckled for sure. The Sponsors/Club will always
prosecute.
Now, before some of you rush to reply with 'nothing happened to me
when I was searched' and all that...take it from me. I KNOW what's
going down! My Court is full of suitcases with people getting arrested
and going straight to the Cop Shop for an appearance at the Court the
next day!
Now, if you don't have a major criminal record, you will likely get a
fine. One guy got a £500 fine for bringing back one of those wee
dagger/knives! It was safely in his stored luggage - doesn't matter -
Arrested!
If you DO have a wee bit of a criminal past - you will likely get 3
months in Jail! And for your Zapper/Stun Guns, you will likely go to
Trial for a heftier sentence!
|