The Detective Who Broke The Rules
The conviction of Christopher Halliwell for the murder of Sian O’Callaghan is of course to be welcomed. But reports, like this one on the BBC, show that the detective who solved the murder broke a few rules. I would appear too, that Halliwell knew something about the murder of Becky Godden, as he led the p0lice to her body.
It is always said that difficult cases make bad law and this case would appear to have shown up a few faults in the rules by which the Police work.
But does it?
In this case, no-one died or was physically hurt because of what the detective did, so many will be calling for a change in the law. On the other hand, I don’t remember a similar case.
So perhaps it shows we’ve got it about right.
The Attacks In Cardiff
The attacks yesterday in Cardiff are very worrying.
The perpetrator has caused one death and a lot of serious injuries and all he used was a weapon available to many; a Transit-sized van.
How To Make A Mountain Out Of A Molehill!
George Osborne didn’t have a First Class ticket, but as he got on the train at Wilmslow, he sent an aide to find the conductor to rectify the problem. The BBC report it here.
According to Virgin, the fare upgrade was paid and there was no abuse to staff. As one would hope!
But according to some statements, you’d think Osborne had refused to pay and more! After all, if there hadn’t been an ITV journalist on the train, no-one would have known about this non-story.
The real problem here are the very strict terms and conditions of the rail companies. We’ve all had a ticket for a train with a seat reservation and have missed our selected train. In many cases it doesn’t matter as our ticket is not a train specific one, so getting the next one is not a problem.
When I buy tickets to say go to Liverpool for the day, I will often buy a First Class Off Peak for the return, as there are always lots of free seats in the afternoon and evening. I won’t have a specific seat, but I’ll have a comfortable one.
Osborn’s problem was that he was returning to London on a Friday afternoon, which is not Off Peak and I suspect trains were pretty full, with all those footballers wives going to London for a weekend’s shopping.
The terms and conditions don’t need to be rewritten to disadvantage the train companies, but there needs to be a more flexible return part of a ticket. After all on many routes like Liverpool, you already have it within the current structures.
If he wasn’t sure about when he was returning to London, he should ave bought an Anytime First Ticket. I’ve just looked at next Friday and it would appear that there are few deals available from Wilmslow to London. It could be one of those routes where if you don’t book weeks earlier, the only ticket is the £189.50 Anytime First.
The question has to be asked, as to whether we expect important members of the government to organise their lives around cheap train tickets.
Surely though, his aides should have known of the problem. They certainly do now!
This problem will continue on this line until HS2 runs to Manchester.
The Anonymous Widower 