The Lasso of Truth

Entitlement

It's not just for the locals, anymore...

Standing proudly with her arm draped over her 36in television, this is the Somali woman who must be given a council house even though she has no right to live in Britain.

Nimco Hassan Ibrahim - who lives with her four children on benefit handouts - was granted the right to the home by EU judges yesterday because she was once married to a Danish citizen who briefly worked in this country.

The landmark judgment means the 34-year-old migrant and her children will soon be packing up their impressive collection of furniture and electrical equipment when they are given a new house.

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Speaking to the Daily Mail last night, Mrs Ibrahim said: 'I deserve to be given a proper house. This one is too small for all of us.

'I don't think it's fair that the council has put us up in temporary accommodation. It's not right that they have hounded us for four years. All these threats of eviction have made me feel very ill.

'The law says that I can get a better house so I'm looking forward to a better life.

'I have suffered psychological problems because of all this.

'To be honest, I was expecting the worst from the court and I'm relieved it has ended. Now I can enjoy my life.'

Behold!

The unparalleled success of "creative", progressive sentencing...

A infamous robber dubbed 'Canal Boy' when he was just 13 years old after he was taken on a three-month narrowboat holiday to stop him committing crimes, has fallen foul of the law again.

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In the late Nineties Bowen was one of a number of young offenders who appeared to be rewarded for their crimes by being taken on holiday at public expense or given excessive pocket money in a bid to steer them away from crime.

'Safari Boy' Mark Hook, who was taken to Africa and Egypt for 88 days, and 'Pocket Money Boy' Casey Bowen, who was given £60 a week by social services, have both also been jailed this year for their latest crimes.

Not unlike a man who gets a "sentencing circle" as punishment for leaving his 2 daughters to freeze to death, on a drunken midnight excursion.

A tale of two pedophiles

And a glaring contrast between the worldly sophistication of the Europeans...

Residents remain fiercely loyal to him. “I pray that he comes back to Gstaad,” said Ruth Fielder, 62, who was born in the village and works in the corner shop just down the road from Polanski’s chalet. “He is a very nice man, he comes here every morning to get fresh bread and he is always smiling,” she said. “I was very upset when I heard he had been arrested. Here everybody says it is not right what they have done. After 30 years they have to stop.”

At the tourist information office, Kerstin Sonnekalb, the public relations manager, is just as perplexed. “He is a quiet man and very friendly and no one cares about his private life. He is a very nice guest here. Some people knew he had a history but no one cared about it.” Gstaad prides itself on being a discreet bolt-hole for A-list stars such as Liz Taylor and Roger Moore. Bernie Ecclestone has a home here, as does the legendary French crooner Johnny Hallyday. “No one cares about rich and famous people here, they can come without their bodyguards and behave as private persons,” said Ms Sonnekalb. “That is very special for celebrities.”

It is the kind of special treatment that has made the arrest of Roman Polanski such a shock for some Swiss and provoked a national debate about whether the country’s longstanding reputation as a haven for the wealthy is under threat.

 and the backwoods bigotry of us western philistines...

A Nova Scotia bishop facing child pornography charges is expected to arrive in Rogersville, N.B., on Friday.

Bishop Raymond Lahey, who resigned his post at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish on the weekend before news of the charges broke, plans to stay at the village's monastery.

But the disgraced 69-year-old cleric is an unwanted guest in the community, according to many residents.

"I wish he would go somewhere else," said Mayor Bertrand LeBlanc.

"This is a small community. We take care of our children and we want them to be in security. And this is a scenario you would not want for your children," he said.

LeBlanc said he has heard nothing but complaints from residents about Lahey's visit. It's an affront to the people of the predominantly Catholic community

I know which community I'd rather raise my kids in.