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Being a Saturday, traditionally here the newspapers are fairly thin on "news" (not totally derelict, but fairly thin, a result of the weekend I guess). During lunch, I was reading news online, and found this story on the Telegraph, I've pasted it below:
Diplomatic protection officers came across the Arabic man as they patrolled
outside Mr Blair’s £4.3 million townhouse in Connaught Square,
Belgravia, central London in the early hours. When they asked the man, who appeared to be drunk, to stop urinating he
allegedly refused to cooperate and a scuffle broke out.
Officers eventually discharged the 50,000 volt taser in order to place the suspect, who spoke little English, under arrest. However the man collapsed and had to be taken to hospital, where it emerged he was a Kuwaiti government official, Ayedh Alrashidi. Mr Alrashidi had been staying in London in order to visit a family who was undergoing medical treatment in the UK.
Officers eventually discharged the 50,000 volt taser in order to place the suspect, who spoke little English, under arrest. However the man collapsed and had to be taken to hospital, where it emerged he was a Kuwaiti government official, Ayedh Alrashidi. Mr Alrashidi had been staying in London in order to visit a family who was undergoing medical treatment in the UK.
Described by associates as a “wealthy and peaceful man”, he had been staying
with friends in an apartment close to Connaught Square.
Following the incident, which occurred last September, he was initially charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a police officer, but was eventually bound over to keep the peace for 12 months following an agreement between his legal team and the Crown Prosecution Service.
According to his lawyers, Mr Alrashidi, was deeply concerned at his treatment by the police and considered taking the matter further.
However he eventually returned to Kuwait having decided not to pursue the matter.
His lawyer in London, Bassam Tablieh said the incident had escalated because of confusion and Mr Alrashidi’s lack of English.
He said: “Mr Alrashidi is a Kuwaiti national, who lives abroad. He doesn’t speak very good English. He is a peaceful man and didn’t realise what was happening.”
A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that a taser had been deployed and a man was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assault.
Mr Blair’s London home is protected by officers the Metropolitan Police’s CO6 Diplomatic Protection Unit.
In 2009, the former Prime Minister was criticised after intervening in order to maintain a 24-hour security detail on the property when the force proposed cutting it in order to save money.
Critics claimed Mr Blair, who is estimated to have made as much as £20 million since leaving office, should help fund any security detail himself.
Following the incident, which occurred last September, he was initially charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a police officer, but was eventually bound over to keep the peace for 12 months following an agreement between his legal team and the Crown Prosecution Service.
According to his lawyers, Mr Alrashidi, was deeply concerned at his treatment by the police and considered taking the matter further.
However he eventually returned to Kuwait having decided not to pursue the matter.
His lawyer in London, Bassam Tablieh said the incident had escalated because of confusion and Mr Alrashidi’s lack of English.
He said: “Mr Alrashidi is a Kuwaiti national, who lives abroad. He doesn’t speak very good English. He is a peaceful man and didn’t realise what was happening.”
A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that a taser had been deployed and a man was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assault.
Mr Blair’s London home is protected by officers the Metropolitan Police’s CO6 Diplomatic Protection Unit.
In 2009, the former Prime Minister was criticised after intervening in order to maintain a 24-hour security detail on the property when the force proposed cutting it in order to save money.
Critics claimed Mr Blair, who is estimated to have made as much as £20 million since leaving office, should help fund any security detail himself.
Now I could point out that if police are attempting to communicate with you, regardless of the language barrier, if you happen to be having a quick piss perhaps it might cross
Incredible that he got off with a slap on the wrist and ran off with his tail between his legs back to Kuwait. haha.
More tomorrow.
le fin.
An amusing story from the UK involving a Kuwaiti
![An amusing story from the UK involving a Kuwaiti]()
Reviewed by Sythe
on
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Rating:
They Guy has to be insanely stupid to try and continue taking a piss. What I find most unbelievable is that he understood no "English"
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense that of all the people the Kuwaiti Government chose to send to London, they chose someone who couldn't speak any English. It appears his English was at least good enough to have been able to order a bottle of Johnnie Walker however.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried to stop urinating once started?
ReplyDeleteOne wonders where the reporter of this piece in The Telegraph is from - surely not a native English speaker!
ReplyDeleteArabic is a language, not a general-purpose adjective to describe anyone or anything from this part of the world (except possibly coffee). Additionally, one should add that in today's usage the previously-common adjective Arabian would be used mainly in geography (and perhaps in horse-breeding). The preferred form would be to use the noun Arab as an adjective - Arab governments . . . A history of Arab culture . . . The well-known rules of Arab hospitality . . . - but of course not when the entity being described is human. The preferred construction of the opening sentence would have been - . . . . officers came across the Arab as they patrolled . . .
Many of us who know London's woeful lack of 'public conveniences' would sympathise with the gentleman from Kuwait, who surely must have wished he had thought of mentioning the "taxi-driver rule". Unbelievable, and probably apocryphal, but very much a part of urban legend - London black-cab drivers are allowed to relieve themselves on the road (or more correctly on one of the tyres of their vehicle), provided of course they do it out of sight and use a side-street rather than a main road.
Ah, there'll always be an England (but whether many there will speak English is a question!).
The caption: YOU'RE not YOUR.
ReplyDeleteWhen does the funny start ?
ReplyDeleteKunal Damle & 1st Anon - yup my thoughts too!
ReplyDelete2nd Anon - yup, pretty hard I have to say!
3rd Anon - I never did know about the taxi loophole, I'll remember that one should I ever need to use it!
4th Anon - thanks for pointing out my poor English, I never did do well with it in school!
5th Anon - Can't amuse all of you all the time ;)
It's a pretty nonsensical article; almost certainly 'written' by Telegraph hack from 3rd hand sources. Connaught Square is nowhere near Belgravia, it's right in the middle of Arab London, just off Edgeware Road. And why on earth would a couple of armed policemen from the diplomatic protection group need to use a Taser in a situation like this? All sounds a bit inaccurate/implausible.
ReplyDeleteThe bit which does ring true is the mention of medical treatment - the main way that the ridiculously spoilt Kuwaitis get their government to fund their luxury, accompanied, first class, annual holidays abroad.
Adnan
Imagine if that was a Brit doing the same in Kuwait. I think they would have to deal with a lot more than deportation.
ReplyDelete