Lincolnshire Man Tasered Friend in Pub

A Lincolnshire man was caught carrying a taser after using the device on a friend in a pub.

Rio Hind, 21, of Grand Sluice Lane, Boston, admitted possession of a weapon for the discharge of an electrical incapacitant when he appeared recently at Boston Magistrates' Court.

Hind also admitted possession of cannabis.

Possession of a weapon for the discharge of an electrical incapacitant is an offence under section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968. It has a maximum sentence of 52 weeks' custody on summary conviction; 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment.

Magistrates heard that Hind attended the Stump & Candle public house in Boston on Friday, 15th August 2025.

Lottie Tyler, prosecuting, described how Hind came to the attention of a member of security staff.

"He saw the defendant and a group of males all stood together and heard the clicking sound a couple of times, it sounded like a taser," she said.

"He saw one of the males flinching and believed he had been tasered."

Police attended the pub and Hind was arrested, a search of his person yielding both the taser and cannabis.

Beris Brickles, mitigating, showed Magistrates an image of the pencil-sized device.

"It is illegal to have these, but sadly it's not illegal to sell them on the internet," he said.

"Mr Hind bought this out of curiosity. He was with friends and they were curious as to what it did.

"It is much smaller in size than a police taser, but illegal nonetheless."

Mr Brickles indicated that his client had mental health difficulties.

Magistrates were of the opinion that the offence was one of low culpability and limited harm.

Hind was fined £200 and ordered to pay £80 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs.

The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the taser and cannabis.

Torbitt on the Take: Ex-Labour Advisor Fiddled Travel Claims

A former Labour advisor and political commentator has been convicted of fiddling his travel claims when he was employed by an MP.

Matthew Torbitt, 35, admitted two offences of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on Monday, 27th July 2026.

Fraud by false representation is an offence under section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006. It has a maximum sentence of 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction; 10 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment. You can read more about fraud by false representation in my earlier guide to the offence.

The court heard that Torbitt, who is regularly seen plying his wares on the likes of Talk TV and GB News, had previously been employed by Christian Wakeford, the MP for Bury South.

This gave him access to the Parliamentary Travel Office, through which he fraudulently booked train travel that was not for Parliamentary purposes.

The 35-year-old also admitted claiming for the reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses that were not for Parliamentary business.

Maisha Mannan, prosecuting, told the court that the claims amounted to more than £6,000, but the exact figure would need to be determined.

Having heard the facts, District Judge Navneet Sher was of the view that the court's sentencing powers were insufficient.

She granted Torbitt unconditional bail until his sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court, on a date yet to be determined.

Update: Sexual Assault Liberal Democrat Councillor Avoids Prison

Former Liberal Democrat councillor Thom Campion has avoided prison after sexually assaulting a woman he lured into his bedroom with a teddy bear.

Campion, 28, of Warkworth Woods, Great Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, denied sexual assault, but was convicted following a recent trial at Newcastle Magistrates' Court.

He was sentenced by District Judge Paul Currer at the same court on Friday, 17th July 2026.

Given the amount of traffic my original article has received, this story is clearly of some interest to people in the north east of England.

The details of the offence were reported earlier. Briefly, the complainant was present at Campion's suburban home when he enticed her upstairs to the bedroom on the pretext of showing her a "cute teddy".

Once in the bedroom the arrogant young upstart pinned the woman to the bed, felt her breasts and pushed his fingers into her mouth, all the while muttering sordid sexual comments in her direction.

The offence was committed in March 2023, when Campion was a member of Newcastle City Council.

The complainant accused Campion of "cowardice", saying that his denials represented a "lack of remorse and inability to take responsibility" for his actions.

Neil Douglas, mitigating, said that his client was of previously good character and could be safely managed in the community.

DJ Currer, sentencing, told the 28-year-old he had "behaved selfishly", saying he was focused on "his own sexual gratification" and had ignored the woman's clear distress and refusal to engage.

The Judge was of the view that Campion's crime was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate. However, in line with the requirements of the Sentencing Act 2026, DJ Currer elected to suspend the custodial term.

Campion was sentenced to 11-months' custody, suspended for 12 months, with the requirement that he undertakes 150 hours' unpaid work and up to 10 days' rehabilitation activity.

He was also ordered to pay £187 surcharge and £650 in prosecution costs.

Campion was also made subject to a restraining order, which prohibits him from all contact with the complainant for the next 2 years.

Given the nature of his conviction, he will be subject to the notification requirements of the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

This conviction should also signal the end of any lofty political ambition Campion may have held, so it is possible he might decide to appeal it.

Isle of Wight Man Avoids Prison After Pushing Cyclist Off Seawall

An idiotic Isle of Wight man has avoided immediate custody after pushing a cyclist over the side of a seawall because he "thought it would be funny".

Daniel Dickons, 39, of Avenue Road, Sandown, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 16th April 2026.

I tweeted about this case at the time of the first hearing.

Man pushed woman in her 60s over Isle of Wight seawall: https://t.co/59tdx1SYWD You're going to struggle to comprehend the total idiocy of Daniel Dickons, 39, of Avenue Road, Sandown, who admitted ABH at IoW Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

— Magistrates' Blog (@MagistratesBlog) April 18, 2026

Dickons was sentenced by the same court on Tuesday, 30th June 2026.

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) is an offence under section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. It has a maximum penalty of 52 weeks' custody on summary conviction; 5 years' custody on conviction on indictment.

At the first hearing Magistrates heard that Dickons assaulted the unsuspecting victim on Tuesday, 5th August 2025.

She was cycling along the seawall on Culver Parade, between Yaverland and Sandown, shortly before 3 pm that afternoon. The wall in question, which is shown at the head of this article, doubles as a walk and cycleway.

As she rode past Dickons he stuck his arm out and pushed her over the side of the seawall, causing her to fall a distance of 5 or 6 feet onto the sand below.

The woman's bicycle landed on top of her. As a result of Dickons' unprovoked assault she sustained several injuries, including a sizeable scar to her chin, a neck injury, a black eye, and an exposed kneecap.

When asked to account for his actions, Dickons replied he "thought it would be funny".

Oscar Vincent, mitigating, told the court that his client, who has six previous convictions, had been out of trouble for the previous thirteen years.

He added that Dickons was remorseful and made full and frank admissions to the police.

Magistrates were of the view that Dickons' crime was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate. However, in line with the Sentencing Act 2026, they suspended the custodial term.

Dickons was sentenced to 52 weeks' custody suspended for 2 years, with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and up to 35 days' rehabilitation activity.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to the cyclist.

In the circumstances that was the most severe sentence that the court could have imposed. Immediate custody would have been entirely appropriate, had the current regime allowed it.