Britain's Border Agency announced the firingof an immigration officer in January. Reportedly, the man had turned sour onhis marriage and, while his wife was visiting her family in Pakistan, added hiswife's name to the terrorist list of people not allowed into the country. Hisploy workedfor three years. Officials only found out when the man applied fora promotion and his wife's name popped up as a potential terrorist.
News That Sounds Like a Joke
The manager of the Channel IslandsCo-operative store in the British territory of Jersey acknowledged to BBC Newsin November that a shopper's complaint was justified and that refunds would bemadethe customer believed she had been overcharged by about 5 pounds (about$8) because, while weighing fruits and vegetables, the clerk had been leaningover so far that her breasts accidentally increased pressure on the scale.
Tough Guys
- In Long Beach, Calif., in February, police arrested two 19-year-oldmen, Kirk Lewis and Daniel Bard, and charged them as two of the three men theysought in the robbery of a 5-year-old girl.
- Timothy James Chapek, 24, was charged with burglary in March after hebroke into a house in Portland, Ore., and took a shower. The homeowner returnedto the house while Chapek was still in the shower and confronted him with hertwo German shepherds and a gun. Chapek locked himself in the bathroom anddialed 911, begging for officers to come quickly and arrest him. (Chapek, laterreleased on bond, was re-arrested two days later in Chehalis, Wash. Accordingto police, he was loading shoplifted goods into a stolen car.)
Geek-on-Geek Crime
In March, a teenager was charged withattempting to rob the Fun 4 All comic-book store in Southfield, Mich., with ahomemade bomb (which looked realistic, but turned out to be harmless). Insteadof asking for money, the teen presented a list of merchandise he wanted. Afterthe clerk balked at the demands, the robber relented, paid cash for a few ofthe items on the list, and left. When arrested later, he called the incident a"social experiment."
Great Art!
In February, a New York City gallery beganoffering classes in "anthropomorphic taxidermy," described as a"Victorian hobby" in which mouse carcasses are not only meticulouslycleaned and stuffed, but also outfitted in handmade, miniature 19th-centuryclothing, such as bloomers. British practitioners are said to have createdelaborate scenes featuring scores of the costumed bodies. Class instructorSusan Jeiven said the mice must have a "classy" look. "I don'tlike rogue taxidermy," she said.
Least Competent Criminals
Not Ready for Prime Time: Michael Trias, 20,was arrested in March in Mesa, Ariz., after a botched residential burglary.According to police, Trias entered the house through a window and landed in aclothes basket made of PVC and netting. He became entangled in the basket andhis flailing attempts to free himself alerted the homeowner.
The Weirdo-American Community
A 50-year-old man was charged with indecentexposure near Yakima, Wash., in March when he jumped in front of a woman withhis genitals exposedwhile otherwise dressed in a diver's wet suit, mask andbright orange gloves.
A News of the Weird Classic
India's legal system is notoriously among theworld's most leisurely paced. In December 1990 in New Delhi, four men (ages 82,71, 63 and 62) were acquitted of accusations that they defrauded agovernment-run transport company by buying bogus motor parts. The men had beencharged with the crime in 1955 (when they were, respectively, 47, 36, 28 and 27years old), and the trial began in 1957. Hearings continued, off and on, for 33years before Judge V.B. Gupta concluded in December that the government hadfailed to prove its case.
