A Kodak Moment for the UK

A criminal case involving a former soldier who found a shotgun in his yard and dutifully turned it over to the police proves that prosecutors and judges in the United Kingdom cannot administer justice or thoughtful discretion in the courts because they have succumbed to political correctness and the gun-control ideology embedded in UK law.

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The jury at Guildford Crown Court took a mere 20 minutes to convict 27-year-old Paul Clarke of possessing a firearm that he had handed in to police officers on March 20 of this year. Clarke now faces a minimum of five years in prison for his "crime." Clarke stated that he saw a black bin liner at the end of his garden from the balcony of his home and when he opened it discovered a sawed-off shotgun and two shells inside. The next morning he phoned the Chief Superintendent and took the gun to the Reigate police station to give it to the police. After he arrived, he was immediately arrested, charged with possession of a firearm, and locked in a cell.

"I thought it was my duty to hand it in and get it off the streets. I didn't think for one moment I would be arrested," Clarke said.

In court, Clarke's defense attorney pointed to a police leaflet that urged citizens to report found firearms. The attorney argued that the leaflet contained no information warning citizens not to touch the firearm, report it by telephone, or take it into a police station. The prosecutor argued that possession of a firearm is a "strict liability" charge and one's intent is irrelevant. The prosecutor maintained that Clarke is guilty of having the gun in his possession and therefore has no defense in law against the charge. Although the judge admitted the case was unusual, he added that "in law there is no dispute that Mr Clarke has no defence to this charge." Clarke is scheduled to be sentenced December 11. Only in totalitarian societies can handing in a discarded firearm to the police be construed as criminal behavior punishable by imprisonment. To picture what lies ahead for the UK, "imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever."