[SOC] Is this SOC Justice?

[David Ackrill]

OK, new thread, new SOC story.

The following is based upon stories, many second hand I admit, of Justice UK
style.  However, I would suggest that similar situations could occur in
other countries.

The basis of the story is that your house is burgled.  The burglars seem to
know where you keep your valuables (although it's often said that
Professionals know where to look) and even daub your walls with very
personal comments, which seem to show that they know who you are!  They
break in while you are out (so please no stories of "blowing them away"
here, as you've not got the opportunity, even if you do own a gun).

You call the Police, who take down details, but are non-committal about
catching the thief or thieves.

Then, wonder of wonders, they contact you to say that someone has admitted
to the crime.  Unfortunately, none of your belongings are available as they
were, allegedly, fenced off before the Police caught the thief.

Now, doesn't that make you feel proud?  The Boys In Blue have come through
after all.  Except that, the story they tell you from the confession doesn't
quite fit the crime.  The criminal gets the wrong window as the point of
entry, they don't know you from Adam (sorry to be sexist, but I think most
of us are male here) and they cannot actually remember what they took, what
room it was in and they are not known to you, so what about the daubings on
the wall?

At this point Perry Mason would be the defending solicitor, a team would
investigate to minute detail and the Police would be shown up for getting a
false confession.  But, this is real life.  The Police are under pressure to
get the crime figures down, the thief has actually committed other crimes,
which can be proven, and your suspicion is that they have been persuaded to
admit that they did your place and it will be "taken into consideration"
that they held up their hands to it.

What do you do?  Stand up in court and say "It could not possibly have been
them"?  Will you even get the opportunity, even if you wanted to?

Worse still, the people who you suspect really did it still live nearby, and
you know that they are laughing because they've got away with it, and
there's nothing you can do!  A little while later you get broken into again,
all the stuff that you've replaced is taken and the daubings are back, with
comments about the fact that they were not the ones who got convicted for
the last lot but that they really did it, and what are you going to do about
it?

de Dave (G0DJA)