2001-01-14 This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a most interesting article entitled: British nudist walks free, clad in smile after his trial. This man, Vincent Bethell, 28 was arrested on numerous occasions on the charge of breaking some 18-th century law of being a public nuisance by wandering around naked. To make a long story short the court acquitted him by not being able to prove that public nudity is a nuisance. The prosecutor, Orlando Gibbons said: Bethell's insistence on walking around nude was likely to "harm the morals of the public or their comfort, or obstruct the public in the enjoyment of their rights". Since the court could not define the legal definition of comfort, the jury set him free. Despite the verdict, the police and prosecutors have vowed to continue to arrest him if he is found wandering around au natural again. I see a parallel with the "metric martyr's" case. Before a jury, if the court is unable to prove that by selling in non-SI measures, that the traders are doing harm to the public by continuing to uses imperial units, a sympathetic jury might set him free. As in this case, if he continues, despite a juries decision, to violate the law he can be continuously arrested. I wonder if the outcome of Vincent Bethell's trial, if observed by the UKIP and BWMA, would give them confidence that there is hope for their cause. Any comments from our British friends? Everyone else can comment too. Glückliches Neues Jahr! Happy New Year! John Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrtümlich glaubt frei zu sein. There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they are free! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
