Magistrates, Your Intellectual Superiors:

How out of it are our betters on the bench? This much:

But she was shown mercy by District Judge David Copper after he was told how she had bought the £3.10 box of Nestle chocolates to say sorry.

Judge Cooper, sitting at South East Suffolk Magistrates Court, told her: "That is a very sweet gesture. I have never heard of that happening before.

That's funny, 'cause I'm an ignorant right-wing moron and even I've heard of it happening before. Take this case for example:

A convicted killer who went on a drug and drink-fuelled rampage in Northampton has apologised to the police officer he punched ... by sending her a bunch of flowers and box of chocolates.

Timothy Harris also floored another innocent victim during his angry outburst in the early hours of New Year's Day and had been told to expect a jail sentence.

But the 43-year-old was yesterday given a second chance after Northampton Crown Court heard how he had become a "different man", secured a job and given up drink and drugs.

Like one of the folks says over here:

I imagine that a lot of officers will be receiving petrol station flows and tins of Quality Street after this from "quite unique" violent killer thugs, if that's all it takes to dodge 3 years in pokey

Well, quite. The only people who can't work this out are apparently all sitting on the bench.

Meanwhile, like I said over at Julie's place - if only the underclass were as diligent and adaptable when pursuing lawful ends as when playing the system, then we wouldn't have an underclass.