Michael A Haber PA Criminal DUI Defense Litigation Miami Blog

British conman sold fake whisky & vodka to tourists - the bottles were filled with urine, soda & feces

Nicholas now enjoys a nice proper British title.  NO, it's not "Sir Nicholas" or "Lord Nicholas"... It's "Nicholas the Conman", who is subject to a "CRASBO" (an "anti-social behavior Court Order that resembles probation but which allegedly contains a personalized set of conditions custom-tailored to prevent anti-social behaviors from re-occurring in a given case) by the Blackpool Magistrates Court.

Nicholas was caught selling 1.5 liter bottles of vodka and whisky to tourists for 10 euros a pop.  The bottles were sealed but they did not contain booze.  Lab testing determined that the bottles contained flat soda, urine and other "evidence of human waste".  According to Nicholas' prosecutor, Victoria Cartmell, "the drinks had probably been laced with feces and urine to give them the color of whisky".  

Upon his admission of having committed the fraud Nicholas was given a 70 day jail sentence which was suspended for a year.  During that time Nicholas will be subject to a CRASBO to ban him from selling anything on public streets.  This seems a light sentence for someone who sold 32 bottles, at least some of which contained hazardous materials, one even being found to contain e-coli bacteria.

That's what a CRASBO looks like.   Apparently they are publicly displayed and discourage future conduct by an offender via publicly "outing" the subject, encouraging community involvement in the event of a repeat violation and carrying an enforceable alternate jail sentence.  

Memo to the UK justice system:  If I got it right ("if") then like the idea of the CRASBO.  I suspect that a large percentage of offenders will be quite shy to repeat knowing that the entire community is on alert and that they are subject to swift punishment.  I also like the idea that the CRASBO is generally self-supporting and does not waste tax payer money.    I do not like the fact that this particular menace - Nicholas the Conman - got away with selling human waste to unsuspecting folks.  Here in the States we'd call that an aggravated assault - and an aggravated battery if anyone actually consumed it; and if someone got sick or worse, if someone died, well then attempted or actual murder charges would be in order.  I get a CRASBO for many things, but selling potentially poisoned booze to unsuspecting tourists is not one of them.

For more than 23 years Michael A. Haber, P.A. has been providing creative, effective and zealous advocacy and counsel in cases ranging from DUI to drug trafficking and from misdemeanors to first degree murder.  

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