"Steve Frazer" wrote in message
news:5890peF2fuu7qU1@mid.individual.net...
> The Todal wrote:
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2055028,00.html
>>
>> "Ingram told the court that the boy "deliberately and quite
>> disgustingly" coughed into his face. "It was a spit, frankly, into my
>> face.""
>>
>> If a child deliberately spits into your face, as the child more or
>> less admitted to doing, surely society ought to permit us as adults
>> to grab the child and rebuke him, without being prosecuted for doing
>> so?
>>
>> If not, well, it's part of the chain of events that leads to knife
>> crime, frankly. The belief on the part of children that they can
>> threaten you with a knife and you aren't allowed to hit back. I
>> suppose the only permissible act was to run after the boy and say,
>> politely, "please don't do that again or I shall summon a constable".
>
> The question is why wasn't the lad arrested and charged with assault and
> perjury. The police are so dumb sometimes it beggars belief.
Actually, I wonder whether it would be permissible for someone in the
Major's position to "arrest" the child. That is, to grab hold of him,
remonstrate with him and then opt to release him from arrest. In effect,
that's what he did to the child.
If assault (be it only spitting at someone or giving them a punch as you
pass by) is not an arrestable offence, then maybe it ought to be made one.
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