I never read the Daily Mail, Richard. Nor the Telegraph, nor the Express.

You see, you can't resist insulting the police, can you? "PC Plod", a quite intentional insult to a group of men and women doing a very difficult, often dangerous, job under the intense scrutiny of the media and politicians, and date I say it, doing it for peanuts in comparison with the sums that lawyers demand for defending the indefensible.

Improper behaviour goes on in all walks of life, including in every arm of law-enforcement. So why single out the small minority of bent coppers for the sharp edge of your tongue? Has there never been a bent lawyer, Richard? Or, for that matter, has a lawyer never defended and got a 'not guilty' sentence for someone whom he knows perfectly well is as guilty as sin, and been rewarded very handsomely indeed for it? Is that not just as offensive to the victim as "fitting-up" is an offence against an innocent accusee?

People in Glasshouses, Richard.

The police are in a "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation where many issues are concerned, and it must be soul-destroying in the extreme when they find themselves in the position where offenders whom they present to the court system are given the lightest possible sentences - the proverbial 'Slap On The Wrist' (and don't deny that it happens - unless you really do live on The Planet Zog, you're very well aware that it does - frequently).

FWIW, I believe that, if the Cage-fighting is declared illegal, I believe that the parents of the children involved should feel the full weight of the law. If it's not illegal, I believe there's a strong argument that, at the very least, it shows a lack of judgment bordering on neglect on the part of the parents, and Social Service agents should take whatever steps are at their disposal to remove the children concerned from that position of neglect.

I'm not anti-victim, Richard, I'm 100% on the victim's side every time. But I'm absolutely anti-offender.