We have talked about England becoming a Nanny State due to the increasing rules and penalties for its citizens, here and here and here. In our own country, we have seen the criminalization of once civil matters at any alarming rate, here.
In this case, Higgins violated a law that bars shops from selling a pet to anyone under the age of 16. She sold a single gold fish to a 14-year-old boy.
The punishment of the great-grandmother will cost the taxpayers £20,000 and leave her and her son with criminal records.
Now here is the fascinating part: the arrest was part of an undercover operation where the council sent in a 14-year-old boy to set up the pet store. She insisted that he looked 16.
I could understand if she was consorting with Convict Cichlid or Convict surgeonfish, but a gold fish?
The maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to 12 months, or a fine of up to £20,000, or both.
How does one get on the gold fish sting team? That must be a long climb up to the vice squad. One can only imagine how the council would react to standard American carnivals which give away goldfish as part of the ball toss game.
What is really maddening is that they convict Joan Higgins but have done nothing to Kevin Kline who actually ate such pets in an act of senseless cruelty in London:
In the United States, we have prosecuted such pet fish murderers, here.
For the full story, click here.