The real cost of a punch at the Royal Opera
mainMatthew Feargrieve, a hedge-fund lawyer who assaulted an underwear designer who was trying to climb into the neighbouring seat, was ordered today to pay £2,265 at Westminster Crown Court.
He was fined £900, plus £775 in costs, £500 to the victim and a £90 victim surcharge.
Cheap at the price. I might try it myself the next time someone farts beside me at the opera.
To say nothing of the disciplinary action he might face from the Law Society, assuming he is a qualified solicitor or barrister and is a member.
Oh, but he is!
The British fart at the opera? In the US we just applaud.
Farting, Norman, is not against the law. Assaulting someone is.
Bravo for the courts.
BTW, I’d be curious to know what a “victim surcharge” is.
I can answer that for you; it’s the price we all pay for the constant victimization present in the burgeoning identity groups.
Essentially victim surcharge is a tax on those convicted of crimes. https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/about-sentencing/types-of-sentence/other-orders-made-on-sentencing/what-is-the-victim-surcharge/. We’re quite good at inventing that sort of thing in the UK.
Same here. The victim is already getting 500 quid, and nobody else would be getting anything without the victim having been victimised, so I would have thought a victim rebate would have been better.
It’s an additional fine that helps fund victim support services. Between £21 and £181 for over 18s depending on the severity of the offence.
Thank you, Stephane and Steve.
I’d actually like to meet ‘an underwear designer’!!!
(Legal) actions indeed have risk/reward consequences. For this this meager upside the vandalistic seat-climber revealed himself to the entire world as having all the class of a peasant from the tall rhubarbs.
…whilst the vandalistic piece of gammon and his philistine, tapping-and-rocking-on-Wagner, wife, revealed themselves to the entire world as having all the class of a piece of gammon in the Waitrose bag of a philistine housewife, innit?
This gives a new meaning to artsy-fartsy
It’s a strange case because immediately after the event it was the ‘underwear designer’ who spent a night in the cells and was banned from ROH. He must have done something or had some agressive manner ?
Hopefully Mr Feargrieve has been permanently banned from ever attending a show at the Royal Opera.
Have some rachmones (compassion) Norman! There may be a time, perhaps in the near future, when you become an old fart, when you yourself will be farting next to someone at the opera!