OAP Tagged For Selling Goldfish!

[iGoD ReleNtLeS]

reading the news and come across this:


LONDON — A grandmother was fined £1,000 and electronically tagged for selling a goldfish to a child, triggering a wave of derision about the over-zealous use of animal protection laws.

As well as the fine, pet shop owner Joan Higgins, 66, was given a dusk-to-dawn curfew and forced to wear an electronic tag for selling an animal to a person under the age of 16, in a ruling slammed by her son as a farce.


Source (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gdhBKbP-qmZ-cfqd0jYL4d0uU3rw)

Apparently its illegal to sell a goldfish to someone under the age of 16, well in my opinion their the ones you want to watch out for. Their the ones that are more likely to devour the thing lol.

Has Britain Gone Mad?

[Mr Grapes]

i'd suggest this was a 1st of April special if it wasn't so utterly likely to be true :(

F* this country

[TheMadDutchDude]

You're having a laugh?

[iGoD ReleNtLeS]

Nope, its published on loads of news sites and im suspecting its going to be in the sun.

[Peeej]

No, its true but they also sold gerbils to kids who killed them within the hour.

They also had a bird which was mistreated and ill and was not in quarrentine. I think there is more to this story than meets the eye.

[Ian.H]

[ snip ]

Apparently its illegal to sell a goldfish to someone under the age of 16, well in my opinion their the ones you want to watch out for. Their the ones that are more likely to devour the thing lol.

Has Britain Gone Mad?

Illegal to sell pets to anyone under 16 apparently, not just gold fish (****, I remember them being given to kids who could hardly walk themselves at fairs when I was a nipper).

Complete and utter joke IMO, but sadly, pretty much underlines the way this country has become over the last recent years :(



Regards,

Ian

[sniperdude]

No, its true but they also sold gerbils to kids who killed them within the hour.

They also had a bird which was mistreated and ill and was not in quarrentine. I think there is more to this story than meets the eye.

source?

I don't believe they sold gerbils to kids who killed them within an hour, how would any source find this info out?
kids are not going to say !I bought one and killed it within an hour "

the bird that was sick had also been reported to to a vet and was
awaiting a visit/treatment from them and they can prove that last night news reported


the media are making a huge meal out of this the real facts are afaik

the inspectors sent a lad in the shop who looked way over 16 to buy a gold fish
so they served him.

the owner should have been issued a warning not a £1000 fine and a tag.

[Mr Grapes]

WOAH! the media blowing facts out of proportion?? say it ain't so!

[Peeej]

It was either the Metro or Evening standard. I'll see if I can find it.

OK the within an hour was an exageration it actually says

"The shop, Major’s Pets in Sale, Greater Manchester, was investigated after a complaint that it sold a gerbil to a teenager with learning disabilities, who put the animal in a cup of coffee and killed it."

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/819836-pet-shop-great-grandmother-tagged-for-selling-goldfish-to-14-year-old

Note that the kid was 14......

When I first read the headline I figured someone had sprayed graffiti on an slow moving OAP...

[waba]

no one else crack up about the gerbil being put in a cup of coffee? or only me?! but seriously, it does make you wonder about whether all the facts have been stated in the article.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

no one else crack up about the gerbil being put in a cup of coffee? or only me?! but seriously, it does make you wonder about whether all the facts have been stated in the article.

I did kind of crack up a bit.

I think the press have not told the entire story but there have been a lot of incidents recently where punishment is blown way out of proportion.

I am getting sick of this nanny state telling us all what we can and cannot do.

[bezza]

Ironic that the picture in the background is for fishing tackle and bait - fishing being a sport that involves killing fish (assuming they sell sea fishing stuff)?

[Peeej]

Hang on, she broke the law, she got a ASBO. No biggy. She didn't as far as I can see get fined, she is simply under a curfew from 7pm to 7am for a while (8 whole weeks). That ain't really such a big deal is it?

Who is blowing this out of proportion. Her son and the press.