Monday, January 12, 2009

The Curious Case of Gandhi and the Stolen Books



From the "Just When You Think You've Heard It All" file, England's Northumberland Gazette offers this true story of a book thief who dares compare himself to Gandhi:








A man fined £255 for stealing a book from a shop in Gateshead has vowed not to pay it and compared his plight to that of Gandhi.

Raymond Scott, 51, was caught stealing The Cannabible Collection - worth £18.99 - and a £32 book on stone sheepfold artworks from a branch of Waterstone's in the MetroCentre.

Speaking outside the town's magistrates' court, Scott said: "I am not going to pay the fine because the amount was totally inappropriate and if they want to send me to prison for non-payment then so be it.

"Was not Gandhi imprisoned by the British?" he asked reporters.
Well, I'm certainly impressed - "Free Raymond Scott, free Raymond Scott...

2 comments:

  1. The fine does seem excessive, but I'm not joining the protest to free Raymond! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nor am I, really...I was just astounded at the nerve of the guy. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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