What Is Achieved . . .

[Canary42]

Can anyone of the punishment hardliners tell me what is achieved by prosecuting this sad lady ?

I thought we were, as a society, meant to be becoming more cognisant and sympathetic towards mental ill-health.

[No doubt I'll be dismissed as a limpwristed liberal by the usual suspects, but I believe this obviously distressed lady requires a more understanding consideration.]

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/businesswoman-fined-performing-sex-act-161943862.html

[Sqad]

Sitting on a bench in Waitrose car park during the day, with your breasts out and mastubating can't be described as normal behaviour, hence I would agree with Canary42 that there must be a mental problem here.

As a sideline.....my mate always said that if one was looking for a "bit of spare" then a supermarket carpark in mid morning was ideal. Available women, husband at work, kids at school, bored housewife rendered supermarket car parks ideal hunting grounds.

My mate told me.

[andy-hughes]

Gromit - // Is this a mental health issue? No such mitigation appears to have been presented by the defence. //

This appears to be a fair rebuttal of Canary's point.

Where mental health is a factor in criminal behaviour, then it is absolutely right that it is brought into the proceedings and assessed as a contributing factor.

But if there had been a mental health aspect, then the defence would have quite rightly introduced it, and since they did not, the inference is that it was not actually a factor in the defendant's behaviour.

To address your question then, and I am absolutely not a 'punishment hardliner' - what is achieved is the application of society's laws created ad implemented to protect society from illegal behaviour, and society can see that its laws are being correctly and fairly applied which is the mark of a civilised society.

[Peter Pedant]

Oh god do you remember Steven Kishko?
guy who didnt murder Leslie Moleseed?

he was also involved in behaviour in a car, which the pre-teen witnesses later admitted they had made up 'as a joke'. 16 y in prison, but that was because of a poor defence ( later Home secretary) and lack of attention to detail.
(" do you think I am proud of what I did?")
Girls not prosecuted

[Peter Pedant]

fairly applied which is the mark of a civilised society.

no place on AB then

There were two complaints by others. Police had a eason therefore to prosecute

[davebro]

Maybe she didn't want to be "tagged" with mental illness so excluded that from her defence.

[david small]

Sqad, I’m often in Waitrose car park mid morning waiting for my wife. Not once have I been propositioned, what am I doing wrong?

[jno]

as Sqad says, it does sound like a mental problem of some sort. It sounds as though she was reluctant to talk about it at all, which would leave her solicitor little grounds for getting a psychiatric report (also, she probably didn't have the funds).

I'd say the same about a male.

[Kardashev]

I think we can all think of prosecutions that really serve no purpose but quite rightly the law is not subjective.

[youngmafbog]

I for one will be waiting with interest for the next news of some flasher with his *** out on Wimbledon common.

Lets see if the ABers remember their posts of today.

[jno]

if there's any suggestion of mental ill health, I'll stand by my post, ymb.

[Old_Geezer]

I think the problem is that it's not the sort of activity one can simply ignore. The court case is pretty inevitable. If it is decided that mental problems are the cause than that should be reflected in the verdict and the actions that follow the case.

[douglas9401]

Waitrose customers are known for their politeness but hate being rubbed up the wrong way.

[jno]

she was reported by investment advisers, douglas. Possibly a wunch of them.

[Togo]

//Beverley Dean, 54, said her life was turned upside down after a company she ran with her husband went bust during the pandemic. The nature of her business was not disclosed in court.//

Perhaps they were in the ...aheem, "escort" business and she now prefers w...ing from home.

[Togo]

//Waitrose customers are known for their politeness but hate being rubbed up the wrong way.//

They don't beat about the bush either Douglas.

[Canary42]

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the outbreaks of sanctimony occurring in this thread.

And on the issue of her barrister not using the mental health defence, perhaps she instructed them that way as she was frightened of the stigma that much of our society attaches to it.

I still don't see why she should be punished for ill-health, that's just barbaric.

[ToraToraTora]

she was not punished for ill health.

[Togo]

//I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the outbreaks of sanctimony occurring in this thread.//

Wrong again ... it was sanctimony that inspired the thread, built in and repetetive, sanctimony that is a hallmark of the poster. Your objection is to the mockery and flippancy that is the only counter to such affected piety.

[piggynose]

it takes all sorts!

[Peter Pedant]

// at the outbreaks of sanctimony occurring in this thread.//
sanctimony?
smut I call it