Show Me the Money!

Clarence Dale, 46, was robbed of C$12 (US$8) in Winnipeg, Man., Canada. He had just made a purchase at a tobacco shop, left the store before putting the change in his pocket, and had the money grabbed out of his hand. But when the robber came to trial, Judge Charles Rubin interrupted the prosecutor's closing arguments to lecture the victim. “I wouldn't walk down that lane in the middle of the day, let alone in the middle of the night,” the judge said. “It's like walking in the wolf enclosure at the city zoo with a pound of ground beef in your hand.” He said the victim was “a very stupid civilian, who admits that he was stupid” for being in a bad part of town with his money out, as the area is “one of the most notorious” as a hangout for drug dealers. The lecture finished, Judge Rubin acquitted the defendant. “Basically, what he said is that the predators have the right to be predators, and us lambs ought to know better,” Dale complained. (Winnipeg Free Press) ...The victim obviously does better summations than the prosecutor.