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The Magistrate's Blog (2005-2012)

This blog has migrated to www.magistratesblog.blogspot.co.uk This blog is anonymous, and Bystander's views are his and his alone. Where his views differ from the letter of the law, he will enforce the letter of the law because that is what he has sworn to do. If you think that you can identify a particular case from one of the posts you are wrong. Enough facts are changed to preserve the truth of the tale but to disguise its exact source.

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Location: Near London, United Kingdom

The blog is written by a retired JP, with over 30 years' experience on the Bench.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Campbell In The Soup


The press is full of reports of Naomi Campbell's spoilt-brat tantrum on a BA Boeing at Heathrow, and her appearance before Uxbridge magistrates. The bench had an unenviable task, knowing before Ms.C set foot in the court that their decision was bound to be criticised as 'special treatment'. Uxbridge handles Heathrow cases so celebrities are nothing new there. She appears to have been treated exactly like anyone else, if you discount the heaving scrum outside the courthouse, but that will never satisfy the critics. If you check the guidelines, factor in her previous good character (in the UK at least!) and her guilty pleas, you end up pretty much with what she got. There is no reason to treat celebrities any more or less harshly than anyone else, and it would be quite wrong to listen to the 'make an example of her' lobby, just as it was with Pete Doherty a few months ago.
My only reservation is that Probation will have their work cut out to prevent the imposed unpaid work from becoming a media circus as it did in New York.
200 hours at the supermodel's usual rates would probably cover the Court's annual budget - pity they couldn't arrange that.

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