Legal Humour News - March 22, 2010

Odd or Amusing Legal Headlines from the Past Week (or Two):

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1 - See You In Court!

Self-described Jedi alleges discrimination, plans to sue
Chris Jarvis of Southend, England, says wearing his hood up is his religious right. The subscriber to the Jedi Faith - from the Star Wars fictional universe - was asked to remove his hood in a Southend Jobcentre recently. But instead of using the Force to convince staff they didn't really want him to comply with the dress code, Jarvis alleged he was being discriminated against. The father of three wrote Jobcentre Plus to complain of the incident. They sent him back an apology letter. Despite the apology, Jarvis intends to sue.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/17/13260876-qmi.html

Lawsuit raises a stink over city worker's perfume
Change is in the air for Detroit city workers. City employees will be urged not to wear perfume, cologne or aftershave as a result of a settlement in a federal lawsuit. The move stems from a $100,000 settlement in a federal lawsuit filed in 2008 by a city employee who said a colleague's perfume made it challenging for her to do her job.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/15/13233796.html

Sex shop must pay full tax rate
European judges have ruled that a sex shop with movie cubicles does not qualify for a reduced rate of sales tax because it is not a cinema. The decision by the European Court of Justice -- Europe's highest court -- follows a dispute in Belgium involving a sex shop which levied value-added tax of 6 percent on its activities rather than the standard rate of 21 percent.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62H44Y20100318

2 - Crime and Punishment

Canine DNA convicts Brit who used dog as 'weapon'
A man who used his dog to attack a teenager whom he then stabbed to death is facing sentencing in a London court. Chrisdian Johnson was convicted after police used analysis of DNA from his dog, Tyson, to prove the animal's blood was at the crime scene and on Johnson's clothes.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100319/koddities/eu_britain_dog_dna

Woman charged in breast milk assault
A Kentucky woman in jail for public intoxication was accused of assaulting a jailer by squirting breast milk at her. The woman now faces a felony charge of third degree assault on a police officer.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/08/13156776-ap.html

Alleged bikini trim led to crash
Don't text while you drive. Don't shave while you drive. And definitely don't shave your privates while you drive. That's the lesson learned by a Florida woman who was charged in a crash that police say happened because she was giving herself a bikini trim while driving.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/09/13167146-qmi.html

3 - Politics, Law, and Governance

Elderly woman insists she's not dead
Theresa Fraser, 77, of Garden of Eden, N.S., received a letter from Revenue Canada, addressed to her estate, claiming she was dead. She called her member of Parliament's office, and was instructed to write a letter to Revenue Canada.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/17/13261151-qmi.html

Citizens told to brush up on etiquette
India has compiled a list of do's and don'ts for its citizens at this year's Commonwealth Games to help showcase New Delhi's charms. Delhi’s tourism chief told local media: “We want to tell them don't urinate in public, don't spit, keep your houses and shops clean, keep public transport safe and such things.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62I0TD20100319

Airline crew face jail over sexy texts
Two Emirates airlines cabin crew have been ordered jailed for three months in Dubai over sexually explicit text messages, the latest in a string of indecency cases against foreigners. The pair, an Indian flight attendant and her cabin services supervisor, were convicted of "coercion to commit sin" over the messages and initially sentenced to six months in jail. The sentence was later reduced on appeal to three months and deportation orders against the pair were lifted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62G2IJ20100317

Pair faces jail time in Dubai over kiss
A British pair caught kissing in public in Dubai face up to a month in jail in the Gulf Arab emirate for indecency after an Emirati mother complained her child had seen their indiscretion. The pair, a British man living in Dubai and a female friend, were arrested in November on accusations of kissing and touching each other intimately in public and consuming alcohol, their lawyer said. They were ordered jailed for a month.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62E3NL20100315

Nurses' union: Care does not include sex
A union representing Dutch nurses will launch a national campaign against demands for sexual services by patients who claim it should be part of their standard care. The union, NU'91, is calling the campaign "I Draw The Line Here," with an advert that features a young woman covering her face with crossed hands.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62A5A120100311

4 - And Now for Something Completely Different

Serbian road signs end up as sizzling barbecues
Already rare, road signs are disappearing at an alarming rate in central Serbia where locals use them for grills, tools and roofing. On a roughly 100-kilometre (60-mile) road between Cacak and Valjevo, about 150 signs have disappeared in the past three years. The poles the signs are mounted on are used to make gates and doorways while the signs themselves are transformed into barbecues or used for roofing.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100318/oddities/serbia_offbeat_traffic