RETIRED Judge, Sir Neil Butterfield, was the speaker at the Shobrooke Friendly Club’s November meeting.

He started by saying that around Sandford, where he lived, he used to be known as the retired Judge, but was now known as Barny’s Dad.

This was because his son Barny, ran a successful cider company at Sandford.

The main topic of his interesting talk was on Crime and Punishment.

An amusing anecdote he gave concerned a case he was involved in some years ago in Barnstaple.

Three men had been caught attempting to break into a shop in Boutport Street. Surprisingly, the miscreants had made no attempt to run away when the law appeared.

Sir Neil said he looked at the policeman and wondered why they had not scarpered when a 17 stone plus policeman with ultra large feet approached, as surely they must have heard someone of that build approaching. To which the constable replied: “I was on my bike!”

Sir Neil went on to give a brief outline of punishment through the ages to the present day, from the stocks through floggings to the number of hanging offences in bygone years.

He went on to say that for some a life of crime was one continuous cycle.

A person, very often someone who has had a bad upbringing, being abused as a child, gets involved with a gang of similar unfortunates, gets involved with drugs, needs money to feed the drug habit, then goes and carries out a robbery or shoplifting.

The person gets caught, probably gets a prison sentence. Inside jail, gets involved with drug barons to feed his habit. In the process racks up debts to those people. He also probably learns how to carry out other crimes, and possibly steps to evade detection and capture.

On his release, and in order to pay his prison debts, and keep the drug barons’ heavies off his back, he goes on and commits more crime, gets caught again, and so the vicious circle continues.

It is a thought that some drugs should be made legal, and for them to be made available to registered addicts on prescription. This would take away the need to commit a crime to get money to pay for more drugs.

In another instance, the victims of a very clever burglar did not realise that they had been burgled until some time after the event.

This particular thief was an expert on locating hidden keys. On entering a property he would ignore the most visible items, such as cash, video recorders etc, and go straight to the bedroom, and search for jewellery.

There he would select what he considered the most valuable piece, and quietly let himself out, locking the door behind him, and returning the key to its hidden location.

Sir Neil’s talk was received with much interest, and Jack Fey, Club Chairman, thanked him for such an interesting talk.

The next meeting of the Club will be on December 7, when the Club will host a Social Afternoon at Shobrooke Village Hall at 2.15pm.

The Club is running a trip to Tiverton Pantomime on February 2, to see “Dick Whittington”.

The cost of the ticket will be £8, plus the coach fare which will probably be in the region of £7. Further information and booking through Margaret Gale on 01363 773282.

Norman Gale.