Seadog Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Unbelievable but unfortunately true. Norman Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 My elder daughter e-mailed me this one yesterday. What to say? I suppose the worst thing is that the authorities won't/can't do anything because Mr Laing wasn't seen 'in the flesh' by an officer. Nonsense. Worse, though, is that we live in a society where events like this are obviously organised on a national basis because it's a Good Thing To Do. Government attacks on binge drinking, booze prices, etc, will have no effect while we live with this culture. And, yes, undergrads have always behaved like this (anyone read early Waugh?), but I think it's now widespread and accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisharley9 Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Guess which university will be getting a letter of complaint from a certain Royal British Legion secretary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I'm surprised he can't be prosecuted retrospectively for outraging public decency. Give him community service tidying up a cemetery somewhere, seeing as it's unlikely he'd get a custodial sentence which is what he deserves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pighills Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Further down the article it does state he is going before the courts. Thank you for posting this article Norman, I shall show it to my 12 year old as an example of how NOT to behave and the evils of drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 16 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Matt he has been so charged:- "Last night he was charged with outraging public decency and will appear before Sheffield magistrates on October 22". I really cannot get my head around this appalling incident when you consider the Sheffield Pals at Serre and our lads in Afghanistan such stupid and to me criminal behavior is inexcusable and frankly I think the Uni should make an example of him and expel the waste of space immediately for bringing the Uni into disrepute. To me no other action is acceptable. Regards Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john jerome mcmanus Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 (edited) I love a drink but the thought of doing something like this does not enter my head even when I have had one too many. Pop Edited 16 October , 2009 by Kate Wills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 The BBC version: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_y...ire/8309955.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 It seems to be assumed that freshmen/undergraduates have always behaved like that. I can only say that, in my (admittedly long ago) days they didn`t. Apart from the Bullingdon Club and medics of course. Mind you, most of those behaving outrageously wouldn`t have been undergraduates in my day. Nor would firms have been set up to exploit the students as looks to have been the case here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfordian Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I believe that we are all shocked, disgusted and angered at this and quite right too. But my giddy aunt, you should see the clamour for his head on a Facebook site. I think that he should be publicly made to clean the memorial with a toothbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I make no excuses for this drunken lad's behaviour. However, I bear in mind that he was drunk as a skunk after a day/night's pub crawl. And I bear in mind the sad truth that, for many young people today, public drunkenness and the accompanying public stupidity, is 'what we do'. At the same time, I recall, as a young man, getting terribly, terribly drunk on similar escapades - and, really, not recalling the end of the evening, nor getting home, etc. I do believe that the lad was drunk, incapable and, almost certainly, oblivious to where/what/how/why etc. And I note his seemingly heartfelt public apology for his actions: Yesterday Laing issued an apology through his university. He said: 'I am deeply ashamed of this photograph and I am sincerely sorry for my behaviour. I didn't realise how much alcohol I had consumed that night and also hadn't eaten since lunchtime. I have no recollection of the events in the photograph, although I recognise that this does not excuse my actions. I apologise unreservedly for any offence I may have caused.' Let the courts deal with him as they would any other stupidly drunk young person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfordian Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I make no excuses for this drunken lad's behaviour. However, I bear in mind that he was drunk as a skunk after a day/night's pub crawl. And I bear in mind the sad truth that, for many young people today, public drunkenness and the accompanying public stupidity, is 'what we do'. At the same time, I recall, as a young man, getting terribly, terribly drunk on similar escapades - and, really, not recalling the end of the evening, nor getting home, etc. I do believe that the lad was drunk, incapable and, almost certainly, oblivious to where/what/how/why etc. And I note his seemingly heartfelt public apology for his actions: Yesterday Laing issued an apology through his university. He said: 'I am deeply ashamed of this photograph and I am sincerely sorry for my behaviour. I didn't realise how much alcohol I had consumed that night and also hadn't eaten since lunchtime. I have no recollection of the events in the photograph, although I recognise that this does not excuse my actions. I apologise unreservedly for any offence I may have caused.' Let the courts deal with him as they would any other stupidly drunk young person. I have been as P*ssed as a f*rt. And yes, I have had a sneaky wee wee in a back alley or a hedge, on the way home. But even in my haze of alcoholic stupor I would still know that doing that to a memorial is just beyond the pale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I make no excuses for this drunken lad's behaviour................. Let the courts deal with him as they would any other stupidly drunk young person. What Jim said. As an aside, I've always been impressed with the council's actions in Amsterdam. Every evening (at least at weekends), they put out loads of "porta pi&&ers" around the city centre - plastic urinals. You see blokes using them and you don't see blokes just pi&&ing up a wall in full view. Practical solution to a practical problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 16 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Salfordian, I totally agree there was no excuse for his behaviour whatsoever. I shudder at the mindset which prompted him to commit this disgusting act. Yes he had drunk a quantity of alcohol but whatever remained of his brain made the decision that he should urinate over the memorial and this make no doubt about it was a conscious decision as he could of course p*ssed anywhere but no he chose this place. I say again throw the useless prat out of Uni and make a stand against this completely unacceptable behaviour before it is accepted as some sort of norm. Zero Tolerance, No Excuses. Regards Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 QUOTE (Phil_B @ Oct 16 2009, 10:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It seems to be assumed that freshmen/undergraduates have always behaved like that. I can only say that, in my (admittedly long ago) days they didn`t. Apart from the Bullingdon Club and medics of course. And at my first university - engineers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT-Guards Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Get him to srub the entire memorial with a blue-tits' eyelash. Then let me p1ss on him'. Apologies in advance if this offends. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 And at my first university - engineers. That`s justifiable. The prospect of a lifetime of dirty fingernails would drive you to drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I agree with Jim. He was wrong and ought to be punished but I think I have seen serving soldiers on a night out acting in much worse fashion. I think if you go to a certain Scottish seaside town when the nearby marines are in camp, you will see much worse than widdling on the war memorial and that is every weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithfazzani Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 He has behaved very stupidly as have many people. I do not believe that he knew what he was doing and facing up to the reality of that will be punishment enough. As others have said many people drink too much and do stupid things, we should really be looking at the cause of that. Many people make a lot of money out of fresher's weeks, where are they when it all goes wrong. This young man's life has been altered because of one foolish act, he is obviously ashamed. That is enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 16 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 16 October , 2009 This behavior cannot ever be justified by whoever and wherever it is committed. If as a society we decide that yes well its always happened its just squaddies , louts, students etc having a good time then we are going down a dangerous road and one which we are part-way down already. In my opinion it is no excuse to throw your hands up and say well boys will be boys etc, no the authorities must act and be seen to be acting whether they be civil or military and they should and must take the appropriate action needed. I say again in this case expel the lout from UNI and make an example of him so that this standard of behavior is seen as not acceptable in decent society Regards Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Well, excessive alcohol does breed naughtiness. He definitely would not have done that otherwise. I am glad to see that the Red Cross had nurses on hand. Unbelievable but unfortunately true. Norman Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 In this day and age when so many terrible things happen - children abused and murdered by their parents; innocent bystanders stabbed and beaten, and the elderly raped in their own homes, I think a sense of proportion is called for. This may be distasteful, but hardly a hanging offence. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithfazzani Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 I repeat, what blame is allocatable to those who profited financially from this young man's predicament. No one appears to be laying any blame at all on them. This young man, in my opinion punished enough, will probably be further punished by the courts. What about those who sold him, and many thousands like him ridiculous amounts of cheap booze, they are no doubt happily banking the proceeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 16 October , 2009 Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Surely people should take responsibility for their own actions. He decided to get legless, not the company selling cheap booze or whatever. 'I sorry but I did not have lunch!' (P***) Just because something is cheap, don't mean you have to buy it. I suppose it also proves that you do not need much of a brain to get to Uni these days. Any muppet with half a GSCE in domestic science can get in. Yep when young I drank to excess but if caught doing anything wrong, it was my fault, not some company or lack of food. Sue - In his condition he could have done anything and not even realised, including some on your list. SM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 16 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 16 October , 2009 Keith what a strange apology you seem to making for this idiot. I take it from your post that the purveyors of the booze actually forcibly opened his mouth and tipped the alcohol straight down his throat. I take it then that this fool had no control over his actions and it was all the fault of somebody else, may I gently remind you that this person was apparently of a level of intelligence to be accepted for the UNI and therefore should have been a little more aware of the downright disgusting act which he perpetrated on the memory of the war dead. I find your attitude surprising to say the least and I assume that you are of the opinion that this fool has suffered enough if so you are well out of step with the rest of the population and I suggest that you read the comments posted on the Mail web site Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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