Note to self: When parking a car in London, walk slowly away from the vehicle. Michael Raphel recently went on a birthday cruise on the River Thames. When he returned, police had blown up his car.
Raphel, 28, had parked his red Honda Civic Type R near Downing Street on a side street and ran for the boat in the nearby river. Police saw him running from the car on CCTV and were concerned because the next day there was to be a Remembrance Sunday Parade (commemorating the end of the First World War) nearby that location. They descended on the car and proceeded to touch off two controlled explosions in his vehicle to be sure that it was not a danger.
It is not clear what the penalty is for double parking a vehicle in London, but it is known that it involves a fighter wing of GR4 Tornados.
For the full story, click here.
A spokesman for insurance price comparison website confused.com said hypothetically if a driver parked in a prohibited place, and their vehicle was subsequently damaged by police, an insurance company would be well in their rights to contest any claim.
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Now does this just not give you the warm fuzzies? Joe Arpiao did you see this? Right now you have immunity until that line is walked to close too many times…..
Nice mushroom; the vehicle must have had some 100 proof in it.
Sounds like a Judge Dredd thingy I saw in a movie once.
I am hoping that photo is not to scale. But I don’t put anything past the Brits these days.
OMG! OMG! Terrorists! Everyone panic!
Along similar lines, the UK has a fairly draconian “security” law that can compel people to decrypt (and interestingly “make intelligible”) anything on your computer they want. The first guy jailed with this law … rabid terrorist? Nope, a schizophrenic guy who likes model rockets and reads Abbey Hoffman:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/24/ripa_jfl/
Yep – keeping Brittan safe. We’re a long way from the great WWII posters that read “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
The thing itself not only speaks, it blows up cars. I have always thought the police need to be more intelligent.
Panicky cops are as bad as no cops. To be killed or wounded by panicky cops are as bad as by strayed bullets.