British Teenager fined £80 for swear word!

[ComradeDavo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4734350.stm

Teenager fined £80 for swear word

Kurt Walker said he would challenge the swearing fine in court
A teenager is refusing to pay an £80 on-the-spot fine imposed by a police officer who overheard him swearing in a private conversation with friends.
Kurt Walker, 18, from Deal, Kent, said he would go to court rather than pay the fine handed out in a town park.

He said he received the fixed-penalty notice after he used the F-word to a group of friends he met in the park.

Kent Police said fixed penalty notices were just one tool to help them to tackle anti-social behaviour.

In my eyes I have not committed any crime whatsoever

Kurt Walker

Student Mr Walker was on his way to a youth centre where he works as a volunteer when he stopped to talk to friends.

"One of my mates said, 'What have you been up to', and I swore when I replied," he said.

"I was shocked when the female police officer gave me the fine, very shocked.

"It is not every day you swear and you get an £80 fine. It is just absurd, really."

Mr Walker is adamant he will not pay the fine and will challenge the penalty notice in court next month.

'Not normal'

"In my eyes I have not committed any crime whatsoever," he said, adding that swearing was a normal part of the language he and his friends use.

Dover District Council's anti-social behaviour unit works closely with Kent Police to tackle bad behaviour.

"Swearing and abusive behaviour certainly is not normal behaviour and I feel it should never be used in a public place," said councillor Julie Rook.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "The public expect us to tackle anti-social behaviour.

"If Mr Walker is not happy he can have his case decided by a court."

This really angers me He has done nothing wrong. In a private conversation you be able to say what you want!

Seems like Briatain is becoming a Police state more and more

 

[thetrooper]

Ah, I've just finished 1984...

Incredible!

 

[Abaddon]

In his words.. him might have been saying "fukin pigs" or something like that, then i can understand.. either way, a fixed £80 fine for swearing is ridiculus..same with peeing in the streets.

Like what harm does it do finding a quiet corner and reliveing yourself?

 

[Rambuchan]

£80? Is that all? I say flog him if he says anything else longer than 5 letters long and burn his eyeballs if he says words under that length. Pull his fingernails out if he says any words beginning with a vowel and thrust maggots into his ears if they start with consonants. While we're at it, let's bring back national service!

^ sarcasm folks.

This is the thought and speech police in action indeed. This is what you call an overreaction to terrorism, introducing stupid laws that do precisely what those who oppose our society what us to do - throw away our freedoms.

 

[Xanikk999]

In his words.. him might have been saying "fukin pigs" or something like that, then i can understand.. either way, a fixed £80 fine for swearing is ridiculus..same with peeing in the streets.

Like what harm does it do finding a quiet corner and reliveing yourself?

Peeing in public outside a restroom is indecent exposure. And urinating in the streets is nasty and uncivilized so thats why its a punishable crime.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I can't understand. You should be able to say ****** pigs as well, though. It may be distasteful, but you can't fine people for this stuff. Especially since it is not technically a crime.

These British anti-social behaviour modification laws are ridiculous.

 

[Rambuchan]

Maybe in a few years time we will have "no swearing" pubs and bars. If you want to use expletives you'll have to go outside into the cold to use them.

 

[Sidhe]

Frankly I think that's F*****G BULL****. There's every chance that if he appealed against the fine he would not have to pay it. Bloody Nazi cops

 

[nonconformist]

****ing disgraceful.


On a similar note, if found urinating in public, you are liable to get a £60 fine.

 

[Rambuchan]

On a similar note, it's still ok to screw a chicken according to British law, just not in public and no photos on the internet please.

 

[Evil Tyrant]

****ing disgraceful.


On a similar note, if found urinating in public, you are liable to get a £60 fine.

That's weird. I would find taking a whizz in public more offensive than swearing in private conversation with your pals. Talk about overreacting, yeah it's not polite to swear, but since when has being impolite been illegal.

 

[Sidhe]

ah just STFU will you

Never I think

 

[CartesianFart]

How old is this law or fine?Is this commonplace in all of the UK?

I am planning on taking my first oversea trip[got plenty of money ]in the fall and considering taking UK as the first place to go,maybe i better watch out of what i can say,or get alot of fines and never come back.

 

[Sidhe]

I've never heard that it's illegal, if you stood on a box saying FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU*****k in a busy shopping precinct you might get fined for disturbing the peace, but swearing isn't a finable offence. 'king 'tards

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

£80? Is that all? I say flog him if he says anything else longer than 5 letters long and burn his eyeballs if he says words under that length. Pull his fingernails out if he says any words beginning with a vowel and thrust maggots into his ears if they start with consonants. While we're at it, let's bring back national service!

^ sarcasm folks.

This is the thought and speech police in action indeed. This is what you call an overreaction to terrorism, introducing stupid laws that do precisely what those who oppose our society what us to do - throw away our freedoms.

On the 80 Pounds question: that's why people say the English are girly, you must not only flog him and burn out his eyeballs, pulling out his fingernails and throwing maggots into his ears. You must stretch him on the rack for words longer than five letters, pull out every single hair on his body one by one (pull one, when pain stops, pull another) for beginning with a vowel, and for the most heinous crime of all, using a word starting with a consonant: have him handcuffed and go a few rounds with a dozen boxers one after another, handcuff his ankles to his rists and throw him into a prison shower, and then give his a nice battery acid bath.

This is also sarcasm.

I apologize if any of you are horrified at the mere thought of meeting me in a dark alley. I'm actually not at all like what the above statements imply.

Sorry if I scared you

@Sidhe: in Wisconsin, if you swear in public and someone is offended by it and reports it. You get a couple hundred dollar disorderly conduct fine. I was almost charged with this several times.

 

[Rambuchan]

Hmmm, and there are all these Brits saying that the Americans can't teach us anything!

 

[Sparta]

I can't understand. You should be able to say ****** pigs as well, though. It may be distasteful, but you can't fine people for this stuff. Especially since it is not technically a crime.

FYI, it can be a crime in the U.S. as well, FWIW, although I personally find it completely ridiculous of course. I'd never even known such a law existed before, but one belligerently drunken evening a few years ago I received a roughly $70 lesson that uttering swear words at cops counts as disorderly conduct (note that in my case 'at' may admittedly have been operative). 1984 indeed.

Spoiler :

Of course it was worth it!
Saying "Way to protect and serve, B****!" to a cop? $70. ("To protect and serve" being their slogan around here)
The look on her face? Priceless.

'ASBO' isn't an a anagram of 'Sharia', is it?

 

[Irish Caesar]

What exactly is the charge? Swearing in public or disorderly conduct?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Getting fined for swearing is ridiculous. I hope he wins the court case.

 

[Sidhe]

Swearing basically it's bs anyway, police don't have the right to arrest someone for a private conversation, you can arrest someone for saying up yours you pig bstard though as that's disrespecting a police officer. But not for what an where they say stuff unless it becomes a nuisance to someone, then you can do them for disturbing the peace. This is just an example of a police officer drunk with power.