General News Thread

[nnfox]

9 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

This 100%. The boys are over the age of criminal responsibility. Rape and that it was aggravated is well over any measure surely of the concerns about criminalising children. Of course rehabilitation is required but there has to be sufficient punishment and recognition that victims and the general public expect them to be removed from our midst for a considerable time. 

It does my head in!

 

Slightly different, but still in the realm of youth injustice, in Northampton last year a 15 year old boy (with a couple of friends) walked into Dunelm on a busy Saturday afternoon, walked to the bedding section and set fire to it.  The entire store was destroyed, Pets at Home (next door) was also destroyed.  Thankfully no people were hurt and it was reported that all the animals were evacuated from Pets at Home (I find that hard to believe).  The wake of carnage for his actions was unbelievable... Road closures on the day causing big delays for everyone, closure of the whole retail park (loss of revenue for other businesses), firefighters risking their lives to control the fire and stop the spread to other stores, policing resources to manage all of that on the day and the subsequent weeks of investigation, millions of pounds worth of damage, staff losing their jobs, public safety issues (aside from setting fire to a shop in the middle of the afternoon) relating to the shells of the buildings left behind and so on.

 

The 15 year old was charged with the offence and a couple of weeks ago the case was thrown out because his ADHD means he wouldn't be able to have a fair trial.  That's it.  Finished.  Nothing will now happen to him, no custodial sentence, no community punishment, no rehabilitation order, nothing.  It's as though nothing happened.

 

The message he has received is that "You have ADHD, so you have a pass to do whatever you want to do and nothing will happen to you.  The law that you show no regard for will prioritise protecting you, over the safety of the wider public.  You are untouchable.".

 

Again, there needs to be balance.  Mental health issues are a serious issue in the criminal justice system, but there are varying degrees of mental health conditions and varying degrees of seriousness of offence.  The two have to be looked at together.  This was another case where the welfare of the offender was placed front and centre and of higher priority to that of the victim(s) and the seriousness of what was done.  For me, his actions passed a threshold where regardless of the severity of his ADHD diagnosis, there has to be some kind of justice served, not nothing!

 

 

[Foxdiamond]

2 hours ago, nnfox said:

It does my head in!

 

Slightly different, but still in the realm of youth injustice, in Northampton last year a 15 year old boy (with a couple of friends) walked into Dunelm on a busy Saturday afternoon, walked to the bedding section and set fire to it.  The entire store was destroyed, Pets at Home (next door) was also destroyed.  Thankfully no people were hurt and it was reported that all the animals were evacuated from Pets at Home (I find that hard to believe).  The wake of carnage for his actions was unbelievable... Road closures on the day causing big delays for everyone, closure of the whole retail park (loss of revenue for other businesses), firefighters risking their lives to control the fire and stop the spread to other stores, policing resources to manage all of that on the day and the subsequent weeks of investigation, millions of pounds worth of damage, staff losing their jobs, public safety issues (aside from setting fire to a shop in the middle of the afternoon) relating to the shells of the buildings left behind and so on.

 

The 15 year old was charged with the offence and a couple of weeks ago the case was thrown out because his ADHD means he wouldn't be able to have a fair trial.  That's it.  Finished.  Nothing will now happen to him, no custodial sentence, no community punishment, no rehabilitation order, nothing.  It's as though nothing happened.

 

The message he has received is that "You have ADHD, so you have a pass to do whatever you want to do and nothing will happen to you.  The law that you show no regard for will prioritise protecting you, over the safety of the wider public.  You are untouchable.".

 

Again, there needs to be balance.  Mental health issues are a serious issue in the criminal justice system, but there are varying degrees of mental health conditions and varying degrees of seriousness of offence.  The two have to be looked at together.  This was another case where the welfare of the offender was placed front and centre and of higher priority to that of the victim(s) and the seriousness of what was done.  For me, his actions passed a threshold where regardless of the severity of his ADHD diagnosis, there has to be some kind of justice served, not nothing!

 

 

Someone that likes committing arson is a very dangerous individual in my view regardless of age. Surely ADHD is not the crucial factor. The overwhelming majority of sufferers would never think of doing such a thing. I know we are not privy to all the details but again justice does not seemed to have been served.

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ye34k7yejo

 

More "Might Makes Right" bollocks from Kegsbreath, dressed up in more weasel word platitudes than normal. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

5 hours ago, nnfox said:

It does my head in!

 

Slightly different, but still in the realm of youth injustice, in Northampton last year a 15 year old boy (with a couple of friends) walked into Dunelm on a busy Saturday afternoon, walked to the bedding section and set fire to it.  The entire store was destroyed, Pets at Home (next door) was also destroyed.  Thankfully no people were hurt and it was reported that all the animals were evacuated from Pets at Home (I find that hard to believe).  The wake of carnage for his actions was unbelievable... Road closures on the day causing big delays for everyone, closure of the whole retail park (loss of revenue for other businesses), firefighters risking their lives to control the fire and stop the spread to other stores, policing resources to manage all of that on the day and the subsequent weeks of investigation, millions of pounds worth of damage, staff losing their jobs, public safety issues (aside from setting fire to a shop in the middle of the afternoon) relating to the shells of the buildings left behind and so on.

 

The 15 year old was charged with the offence and a couple of weeks ago the case was thrown out because his ADHD means he wouldn't be able to have a fair trial.  That's it.  Finished.  Nothing will now happen to him, no custodial sentence, no community punishment, no rehabilitation order, nothing.  It's as though nothing happened.

 

The message he has received is that "You have ADHD, so you have a pass to do whatever you want to do and nothing will happen to you.  The law that you show no regard for will prioritise protecting you, over the safety of the wider public.  You are untouchable.".

 

Again, there needs to be balance.  Mental health issues are a serious issue in the criminal justice system, but there are varying degrees of mental health conditions and varying degrees of seriousness of offence.  The two have to be looked at together.  This was another case where the welfare of the offender was placed front and centre and of higher priority to that of the victim(s) and the seriousness of what was done.  For me, his actions passed a threshold where regardless of the severity of his ADHD diagnosis, there has to be some kind of justice served, not nothing!

 

 

Yeah, I think we have to be a bit careful here.

 

I looked this up and the way it's been reported isn't massively helpful, in that it's pretty easy to read it as the kid didn't stand trial because he's got ADHD, when they've actually said that's one of a range of unnamed conditions they'd got.

 

My missus used to do a lot of work around cognitive and capacity assessments and though you cannot read that much from how the story was reported, it's quite possible that the ADHD didn't have much to do with the decision (people with ADHD are overrepresented in the prison population so that's definitely not a reason to not prosecute in itself). It's all about capacity at the end of the day - the media over simplifies things and makes it appear to the reader that there are 'get out of jail free' cards where having a condition (often erroneously lumped into a broad brush 'mental health' category) means you can get away with anything, and it's simply not the case.

 

There's any number of things that might be taken into account in determining whether someone has capacity to stand trial, but it boils down to do they have capacity or not?

It's interesting and probably significant that in the report I read "three doctors" had agreed on whatever assessment had been made - that's pretty thorough, this isn't being done on the view of some overly idealistic hippy support worker or something (apologies to any support workers reading) and is not a decision that would be taken lightly.

 

Another thing that's massively unhelpful about the reporting is - and this becomes more and more of an issue as such stories get shorter and shorter (is that because of ever reducing attention spans or because journalism and actual reporting has been hollowed out to the extent there isn't anyone to actually write them anymore?) is again what isn't reported. The story reads as if they weren't fit to stand trial and that's that, end of story, everybody walks away when that probably isn't the case. There are inpatient mental health units and secure hospitals throughout the country full of folk deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, some of whom will have convictions but a lot of whom will not.

 

I've not a clue what happened after the trial decision but the idea that you've got someone that will start a fire in a building with people in it AND has been deemed not fit to stand trial is not a combination where the system says 'nothing to see here, carry on' - just because they've not gone down the criminal justice path doesn't mean they are not still in the system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 30 May by Bellend Sebastian

[Innovindil]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-new-swedish-fighter-jet-deal-to-strengthen-ukraine-and-boost-british-jobs

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y8wjvd1ypo

 

Don't mind investing in defense, IF we build it ourselves. Or at least some of it, like with the fighter jets. 

 

We have good engineers in this country. Let's get em working, and even more importantly, teaching. I know the profession was essentially decimated by sending production overseas, but it's nice to see a bit of home grown stuffs making a comeback. If the jobs are here, people will learn how to do it. 

[st albans fox]

6 hours ago, nnfox said:

It does my head in!

 

Slightly different, but still in the realm of youth injustice, in Northampton last year a 15 year old boy (with a couple of friends) walked into Dunelm on a busy Saturday afternoon, walked to the bedding section and set fire to it.  The entire store was destroyed, Pets at Home (next door) was also destroyed.  Thankfully no people were hurt and it was reported that all the animals were evacuated from Pets at Home (I find that hard to believe).  The wake of carnage for his actions was unbelievable... Road closures on the day causing big delays for everyone, closure of the whole retail park (loss of revenue for other businesses), firefighters risking their lives to control the fire and stop the spread to other stores, policing resources to manage all of that on the day and the subsequent weeks of investigation, millions of pounds worth of damage, staff losing their jobs, public safety issues (aside from setting fire to a shop in the middle of the afternoon) relating to the shells of the buildings left behind and so on.

 

The 15 year old was charged with the offence and a couple of weeks ago the case was thrown out because his ADHD means he wouldn't be able to have a fair trial.  That's it.  Finished.  Nothing will now happen to him, no custodial sentence, no community punishment, no rehabilitation order, nothing.  It's as though nothing happened.

 

The message he has received is that "You have ADHD, so you have a pass to do whatever you want to do and nothing will happen to you.  The law that you show no regard for will prioritise protecting you, over the safety of the wider public.  You are untouchable.".

 

Again, there needs to be balance.  Mental health issues are a serious issue in the criminal justice system, but there are varying degrees of mental health conditions and varying degrees of seriousness of offence.  The two have to be looked at together.  This was another case where the welfare of the offender was placed front and centre and of higher priority to that of the victim(s) and the seriousness of what was done.  For me, his actions passed a threshold where regardless of the severity of his ADHD diagnosis, there has to be some kind of justice served, not nothing!

 

 

If a 15 y o kid is so mentally ill that he doesn’t realise setting fire to a building with people in it is unacceptable then he needs to be protected from himself by society. 
 

either way he shouldn’t be free to wander the streets - what will he do next ?

 

either he understands what he did was wrong and he should be tried and face the consequences or he doesn’t and he should be looked after by the state to keep him and others safe. 

[worthosoriginals]

4 hours ago, st albans fox said:

If a 15 y o kid is so mentally ill that he doesn’t realise setting fire to a building with people in it is unacceptable then he needs to be protected from himself by society. 
 

either way he shouldn’t be free to wander the streets - what will he do next ?

 

either he understands what he did was wrong and he should be tried and face the consequences or he doesn’t and he should be looked after by the state to keep him and others safe. 

Or make him president  of the usa

[LCFCJohn]

14 hours ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-new-swedish-fighter-jet-deal-to-strengthen-ukraine-and-boost-british-jobs

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y8wjvd1ypo

 

Don't mind investing in defense, IF we build it ourselves. Or at least some of it, like with the fighter jets. 

 

We have good engineers in this country. Let's get em working, and even more importantly, teaching. I know the profession was essentially decimated by sending production overseas, but it's nice to see a bit of home grown stuffs making a comeback. If the jobs are here, people will learn how to do it. 

Engineering is a popular and growing subject at Universities, particularly within home students given the decline from overseas. Speaking from my own experience in the sector, Aerospace and Mechanical are particularly popular subjects with high numbers so you are correct in saying there is so much talent coming through in these areas that can achieve this.

[Md9]

No one has ever done so many  cognitive tests ever he is the best to ever do it 

 

[The Bear]

Trump IS Peter Griffin isn't he. 

 

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, Md9 said:

No one has ever done so many  cognitive tests ever he is the best to ever do it 

 

Would love to see these tests.

 

Also, how is a cognitive test a physical examination?  Ooooh, if you make it up, it can be whatever you want it to be!

 

If someone told me I had twice the IQ of Trump, I'd consider it an insult 

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 hours ago, worthosoriginals said:

Or make him president  of the usa

God bless America, where anybody can be anything they want to be!

[Free Falling Foxes]

3 hours ago, Md9 said:

No one has ever done so many  cognitive tests ever he is the best to ever do it 

 

He really is a complete and utter arse.

[Zear0]

30 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

He really is a complete and utter arse.

Just jealous because he got 150% four times.

[ramboacdc]

1 hour ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Would love to see these tests.

 

Also, how is a cognitive test a physical examination?  Ooooh, if you make it up, it can be whatever you want it to be!

 

If someone told me I had twice the IQ of Trump, I'd consider it an insult 

He has mentioned these "genius tests" or whatever it is before had a horse and a tiger in, so people twigged it was the Montreal cognitive assessment. 

[Md9]

4 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Would love to see these tests.

 

Also, how is a cognitive test a physical examination?  Ooooh, if you make it up, it can be whatever you want it to be!

 

If someone told me I had twice the IQ of Trump, I'd consider it an insult 

He just likes to brag about anything doesn’t he without realising it makes him look even more insane than if he just kept quiet for 5 mins . 
never knows someone claim to be so knowledgeable about so many things but knows absolutely nothing. 
Trying to fool people you are in perfect shape when everyone has eyes and can see what a fat slob you are while falling asleep during meetings is a bit ridiculous even for them 😂

[surrifox]

But the doctors said no- one ever got a higher mark than him 

[Parafox]

On 30/05/2026 at 16:11, st albans fox said:

If a 15 y o kid is so mentally ill that he doesn’t realise setting fire to a building with people in it is unacceptable then he needs to be protected from himself by society. 
 

either way he shouldn’t be free to wander the streets - what will he do next ?

 

either he understands what he did was wrong and he should be tried and face the consequences or he doesn’t and he should be looked after by the state to keep him and others safe. 

I would have thought that the measure of capacity to understand actions and consequences under the Mental Capacity Act would have some bearing on the decision.

[Parafox]

6 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

God bless America, where anybody can be anything they want to be!

I'm moving there so I can be a homosexual Mexican cat.

[MPH]

10 hours ago, Md9 said:

No one has ever done so many  cognitive tests ever he is the best to ever do it 

 

 

Sounds like that is straight out of North Korea..

[MPH]

31 minutes ago, Parafox said:

I'm moving there so I can be a homosexual Mexican cat.

 

Just make sure you show your ID when you vote and you’ll be fine…

[filthyfox]

8 hours ago, ramboacdc said:

He has mentioned these "genius tests" or whatever it is before had a horse and a tiger in, so people twigged it was the Montreal cognitive assessment. 

That first animal has the tail of a FOX!!!  Also, is it a duck or a goose?

 

SHIT!!!!  I've got Trump's disease!

[FoyleFox]

12 hours ago, Parafox said:

I would have thought that the measure of capacity to understand actions and consequences under the Mental Capacity Act would have some bearing on the decision.

Apparently not, he's still President of the USA.... oh, you didn't mean Donny...

[Tommy G]

On 31/05/2026 at 06:47, LCFCJohn said:

Engineering is a popular and growing subject at Universities, particularly within home students given the decline from overseas. Speaking from my own experience in the sector, Aerospace and Mechanical are particularly popular subjects with high numbers so you are correct in saying there is so much talent coming through in these areas that can achieve this.

Shame a lot of the defence work isn't particularly profitable vs commercial aerospace, and comes with a tonne of extra hops to jump through even compared to commercial.  

[Raj]

Really Sad to hear about kevin Keegan's cancer diagnosis.

People of my age will know what a legend he is when he went to newcastle as a player ( See Auf weidershen oet!) and then " I'll love it if we beat them" when he managed them.

All out attack football and a joy to watch at the time