Expensive swearing

[Luna]

A teenager was hit with an £80 fine for using the F-word while talking to his friend.

Kurt Walker was asked by his companion what he was up to and replied: '******* all, mate.'

But the private conversation was overheard by a police officer, who promptly handed a him a fixed penalty notice.


If we were to fine everyone £80 for using that word we could solve the national debt

However, the 18-year-old is refusing to pay the fine – the same punishment as that dished out for being drunk and disorderly, stealing goods worth up to £200 or causing £500 damage.

The student, from Deal, Kent, said he was given the penalty notice as he walked home from a community centre where he does voluntary work.

He added: 'I was gobsmacked. I walked off up the street furious. It's my right to swear in a private conversation. The police officer should not even have been listening – she was snooping.

'If I told you what I thought of this stupid law that makes a criminal of you for swearing, I'd get another £80 fine. It's ridiculous.'

Shami Chakrabati, director of human rights group Liberty, said: 'This is a snapshot of summary justice in the Prime Minister's Britain. Kids will never learn to respect the law when it becomes a licence for petty bullying.'

The Rev Ian Gregory, of the Campaign for Courtesy, said: 'If we were to fine everyone £80 for using that word we could solve the national debt.'

Kent Police insisted swearing was a crime under the Public Order Act. A spokesman said: 'If Mr Walker is not happy, he can have his case decided by court.'

The £80 on-the-spot fines were introduced in 2003 as part of Tony Blair's 'respect' campaign.

[CrazyLea]

thats really stupid i think. sure if he was swearing at her or someone random then maybe thats acceptable. but if it was a private conversation then he should be allowed to.

[Luna]

shouldnt they be dealing with actuall criminals and stop all this petty stuff

[alan45]

My God there are murderers and rapists running about and some ****** jobsworth of a cop has to hand out a ticket for something so trivial. Perhaps a few weeks on the Baghdad Beat would help him to sort out his priorities. Its no wonder the public have lost all respect for the boys in Blue

[alan45]

The £80 on-the-spot fines were introduced in 2003 as part of Tony Blair's 'respect' campaign.I think this explains a lot of what the problem is

[chance]

Pathetic,why dont they go and catch some real criminals?

[alan45]

Pathetic,why dont they go and catch some real criminals?Because the nasty criminals might shout at them :)

[Luna]

theres a picture of the guy on the article i got this from he was wearing a hoodie - if this was an old woman (and yes they do swear in conversation) would he have given her the fine?

[JustJodi]

When I was young my grandpa had a CUSS BOX..my gramma would rattle the box at him if he cussed under his breath..but I think this is going a bit too far,a cop busting some one having a private coversation, to me that is a bit of invasion of privacy.. but thats just me.. the cussing wasn't directed at the cop :rolleyes:

[stacyefc]

oh my god thats terrible. my fella always says fxxx all when i ask him what he's been up to. its just a word that is used alot its not offensive or anything. i can't beleive that.

[Chloe-Elise]

I think thats really stupid, he didn't mean offence to anyone, he was only talking to his friend. Thats really petty and ridculous.

[Tori]

what? that's mad. he wasn't yelling it out. students in manchester talk about stuff a lot worse than that, and if they did that we would all be skint (and minus about £1000 now) don't they have anything better to do?

[dragoneye454]

Omg. can't believe that. Swearings a part of every day life nowadays. Next you'll be fined for bending to tie your shoe laces because you could trip someone up or something. Trust Tony Blair to think of something like this.

[kels257]

Honestly what is the world coming to? I think that the guy is right by not paying the fine cause I wouldn't either.

[Katy]

i swear all the time i cant stop, i dont do it deliberatly but sometimes it cant be helped. The guy was doing no harm so why fine him, its so stupid.

[Angeltigger]

well maybe Tony Blair's is trying to everyone from swearing but it not going to work so it is just silly- like people have said why don't they chase some real bad people

[annaz]

That's so stupid. Millions of people use that word, haven't the police got something better to do that wash out teenagers mouths with soap. -shakes head-

[Siobhan]

So is the uk going to have a big country swear box and at the end of the year you have big party with the money :rotfl::rotfl:

Police have better thing to do surely. everyone swears so what is the big deal. I bet the police even said "right your nicked, give me £80 or i'll tell your mum on you, ****er"

[pinkfirefly]

If its part of T Blair's respect campaign how stupid is he, surely it just makes people lose respect with the police!

[annaz]

Sometimes you can't really help but swear. Everyone swears once in a while, no one dies.

[dddMac1]

thats so stupid everyone has the right to swear freedom of speech i admit i use the F word all the time.the C word offends people more

[feelingyellow]

:eek: For saying the F word... they seriously need to get a life... private conversation the police woman shouldn't have been eavesdropping! And 80 quid... what's next 200 for eating with your mouth open?

[alkalinetrio]

i swear all the time accidently and delibratly its how i am! giving a fine for someone swearing is just stupid!

[Kim]

That is taking it too far! Yes, swearing is rude and offensive, but he wasn't offending anyone or directing abuse at someone.

[annaz]

There are many more offensive words than the f word. Many words that aren't even swearing are terribly offensive.

[nicole28]

Woah! that is so stupid! I do hate it when people swear, but there is no way I think that you should be fined because of it!

[annaz]

I try not to swear and I'm good at it. I just find that sometimes swearing is pointless.

[di marco]

I try not to swear and I'm good at it. I just find that sometimes swearing is pointless.

i agree that sometimes swearing is pointless, like when people was the f word every other word, its a bit pointless, like they will say "yesterday i got the *******ing bus to the *******ing cinema to see that *******ing new film". someone who i used to go to school with used to literally say it after every word like it was a really common word to use in every sentence! but fining someone for saying it is going a bit far!

[annaz]

I was in Asda today and a little 5 year old was shouting and swearing, obviously not understanding what he was saying and his mum just stood there and laughed at him, saying he was a little Champ. I was shocked and she didn't even try and stop him.

[willsmummy]

I think as someone else said, if he was being abusive to another person, then fine. But as it was part of a conversation with his mate, then that's ridiculous. Blimey, over the last 20 years, I'd have been bankrupted if it had happened to me.

As for 5 year olds swaering. That's just shocking. I remember saying "bugger" when I was about that age, and my dad gave me a beating. I still don't swaer in front of my parents, and I'm 36.

[di marco]

thats really bad the 5yr old swearing but ive heard little kids do it before as well! ive only ever said a swear word once in front of my parents, i think i was about 6 or 7 and i was walking home from school and telling my mum about what id done that day and i told her what this girl in my class who was always getting into trouble at school had said and i actually told her word for word and used the swear word which she had used. my mum gave me a smack while we were still in the street and when we got home she washed my mouth out with soap! ive never said any other swear word in front of her again! she even tells us of when we say things like omg and bloody and crap and stuff like that so im definitely not swearing in front of her!