Couple Escape Jail For Stealing Out Of Date Food From Bin

[Austin Allegro]

What puzzles me is why they weren't using a food bank. Or were they not eligible for some reason?

[Errol]

These are clearly terrible offences. Far, far worse than (to just pick a random example out of the air) money laundering for mexican drug cartels or systematically manipulating inter-bank lending rates.

They should have got 20 years.

[anonguest]

Cousin of mine with severe learning difficulties was turfed off of disabled benefits onto JSA. When he couldn't understand what he needed to do he was sanctioned.

Lost his HB as well.

So lost his flat (his carer had already been removed when he was put onto JSA).

Went missing for a while and was eventually found hungry and homeless.

Now living with an elderly relative who is supporting him using her state pension.

All pretty grim really and I can't see why it's his fault he's "slow" (he's an adopted cousin - his real mum damaged him through drug abuse when he was in utero and eventually died of an overdose).

He could have quite easily died tbh.

This, and other such, stories are indeed genuinely heartbreaking - and reveal both the stupidity (i.e the unthinking 'mechanical' going through the administrative and bureaucratic processes) of the 'system' and the callousness of those who devise the system.

But to IDS, and others like him, this person is just another 'useless eater' (to quote Henry Kissinger, I believe).

[200p]

What puzzles me is why they weren't using a food bank. Or were they not eligible for some reason?

They apparently can only use it once per month in the original article.

[Nationalist]

Cousin of mine with severe learning difficulties was turfed off of disabled benefits onto JSA. When he couldn't understand what he needed to do he was sanctioned.

Lost his HB as well.

So lost his flat (his carer had already been removed when he was put onto JSA).

Went missing for a while and was eventually found hungry and homeless.

Now living with an elderly relative who is supporting him using her state pension.

All pretty grim really and I can't see why it's his fault he's "slow" (he's an adopted cousin - his real mum damaged him through drug abuse when he was in utero and eventually died of an overdose).

He could have quite easily died tbh.

That's a grim story and illustrates an underlying truth - the real class system is IQ based. High IQ people play the game and sort themselves out. Low IQ people just suffer. High IQ people even manage to kid themselves and others that there is personal merit in their inherited brain power.

[olliegog]

Oh do F off you flippant price.

that is completely unnecessary as I was trying to be constructive - an elderly relative (a member of your family) is probably missing out on benefits - I suggested you helped rather than coming on a forum to tell a sad tale. if she is not on the internet she probably cannot fill out the 'entitled to' form to see what she is 'ENTITLED TO'

swearing is the last resort of the inarticulate and ignorant.

[porca misèria]

That's a grim story and illustrates an underlying truth - the real class system is IQ based. High IQ people play the game and sort themselves out. Low IQ people just suffer. High IQ people even manage to kid themselves and others that there is personal merit in their inherited brain power.

Whereas low IQ people (and the intellectually dishonest) convince themselves there's something inherently superior about being born human vs any other heritage.

See, I can make silly generalisations, too.

[byron78]

A bit harsh. Someone suggests you help and you get angry.

Why are you not helping your cousin and elderly relative understand the system?

The assumption of course is that I haven't.

The reality is that I have.

And to the best of my ability.

But at the moment the system is not set up to help people. It's set up to confuse and defraud enough of the vulnerable ones to make cuts.

It's very hard to appeal effectively when there are hundreds of thousands doing exactly the same and the processes needed to appeal (CAB and legal aid) have been cut/removed as well.

[SarahBell]

That tells us there's more to this story than we've been told. Perhaps something like details of what they had to break/violate to access the food in question.

The article I read used the word "pallet" to describe the amount of food they were stealing.

[PaulParanoia]

The assumption of course is that I haven't.

Bad assumption on my part ... sorry about that. Glad to hear you tried to help. Still doesn't justify the abuse you dished out though.

[byron78]

Bad assumption on my part ... sorry about that. Glad to hear you tried to help. Still doesn't justify the abuse you dished out though.

Yes you're right - I wholeheartedly apologise.

It's obviously quite an emotive issue.

And usually when I have talked about it people have very little idea of how the system is currently functioning.

There is an assumption my cousin is a lazy shirker, or that our family have just abandoned him.

The reality - that a mentally handicapped adult has had his carer and support removed, been forced into a workfare system he doesn't understand, been consequently tricked off of benefits because he couldn't navigate the hoops, and then lost his home and became so terrified they would jail him for not complying (this is why he ran away) is too awful for a lot of people to comprehend or they just choose to ignore it I think.

Even if they get that bit, they usually won't accept how all the old channels of appeal have been closed or cut.

I think we're entering a new era of Human Rights.

If you don't have money, you're not human. Rights? Not if you can't afford them no.

[longgone]

i always thought the out of date food ended up on the deli counter.

these people make me sick,expecting a massive company to pay for a frivolous lifestyle eating is a luxury.

[GinAndPlatonic]

that is completely unnecessary as I was trying to be constructive - an elderly relative (a member of your family) is probably missing out on benefits - I suggested you helped rather than coming on a forum to tell a sad tale. if she is not on the internet she probably cannot fill out the 'entitled to' form to see what she is 'ENTITLED TO'

swearing is the last resort of the inarticulate and ignorant.

Well there`s the rub...I have looked after an elderly person who had dementia, and it was stressful, hard work, but sometimes if you have family, or work long hours, or are possibly just getting through life yourself, it`s not always so easy as some may suggest just to help someone who cannot cope for themselves, for whatever reason.

Do you show them the way it is done, then hope they do it correctly next time or do you take over their lives and run it for them.

It can be suggested there is a middle way. Unfortunately sometimes there is no middle way. Sometimes , some people need looking after every day or the system does snub them and if you haven`t got the time or are possibly not articulate enough yourself to navigate the welfare system then people can and do end up on the streets.

[Rave]

I used to be a serious bin raider. This was 2003-3006, when I'd just got married, got myself my first proper job as a civil servant, and rented the wife and I a 1-bed flat for £650 a month.

When the wedding gift money ran out far faster than I'd expected, I did the sums- I was taking home barely more than £1k a month after tax.

Rent £650, Council Tax £100, phone/cable/internet £60, electricity £70/80 (prepaid, no gas in our flat), and I was running a car at the time. But I got off the train home at 6.30 every evening with sod all to do, so why not.

I was more interested in the books/cds/crockery etc. that the charity shops chucked, I flogged some of it on ebay/amazon, and I still get a thrill when gravy is served in our house from a lovely boat that I got from a bin.

But it was the free stuff from Tesco and Iceland that made the read difference. We had many casseroles from meat / sausages that were out of date that day, just give them 3 hours in the oven to be on the safe side...

It made me happy and I'm genuinely not ashamed, I look back on that period of my life with fondness, as I had so many great scores. One example, we had enough cash spare at the end of the month to go to the pub with our friends on a Saturday night. My wife invited everyone back to ours as we were the only ones not living with parents at the time. I said I'd catch them up after a bin raid. I found two packs of organic bacon and a bottle of white wine in the bin. So at 2am we were all outside smoking and eating delicious bacon sarnies that were basically free!

I only gave it up when I got a job that paid £30K+ a year. Even then I occasionally went back for a look when I was bored, but they'd taken steps to lock the bins away by then .

[SarahBell]

They apparently can only use it once per month in the original article.

You get three goes at most.