(4) Once the luggage had been searched and the cigarettes found, Officer Crowley asked Mr Maher whether the cigarettes were for Mr Maher’s use. Mr Maher replied yes, but his son then said “don’t you sell them, Dad?” Mr Maher replied “No, they’re for me”. This unusual exchange meant that Officer Coley had a clear recollection of the interview. He did not agree with Mr Maher’s statement that his son had said “don’t you smoke them, Dad?”
DOH!! Though luckily for him in that respect
28. We note the evidence as to the question from Mr Maher’s son but have not paid any particular attention to it: we prefer Officer Cowley’s evidence as to the exact words of the question but consider that the question could equally have been inappropriate mischief on the part of a bored and/or tired nine year old. In the light of the other evidence set out above, we did not consider that it was necessary to try to determine whether it had been intended seriously.
Still lost though
Replies (9)
Please login or register to join the discussion.
I've seen these cheap TV documentaries about UK customs and they've "let off" repeat offenders with just seizure on much larger hauls. I'm surprised to see they have actually properly dealt with one of them.
The answer of course is to reduce the taxes on cigarettes from the current punitive level.
In the USA the average cost is $6-$8, whereas in Canada it is £11-$12 - and they wonder why they have a huge smuggling problem. In the UK we do at least have the Channel, but even so the average cost in the UK is £11 and on the continent it is only £5-£6. In Poland hey are only£2.80.
The potential profits for smuggling are therefore huge, and caused entirely by our government's greed.
Perhaps, and its easy for me to shout from the ivory tower but as a non-smoker and seeing the evils of smoking in my family, I say the government can't tax them high enough.
Equally the answer could be to shoot on sight anyone caught smuggling cigarettes, which should see a drop in the number of people willing to do it.
Or perhaps people could just stop arbitrarily breaking laws they don't agree with.