@Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse
> then ADMITTED to them when, again unsurpringly, the rozzers came-a-calling. It seems that standard due process and punishment has followed from this admission
Bragging on-line does not constitute a legally useful confession to a crime, even if he did claim to have done something illegal. A legally useful confession is what's er, "extracted" at the nick when incontrovertible evidence showing he *did* commit a crime is presented.
> So I'm wondering what it is that you find so "police state" about that?
See above. He's been handed an ASBO for bragging about his "crime", not actually committing one.
[The Norwich newspaper link (posted in this thread) says:- PC Chapman added: “We got a DNA hit from the car he took, we searched his house and found the cannabis and on a targeted patrol we picked him up for the breach but the use of the internet was pivotal in this case.”]
Ok, "it's a fair cop guvn'r; I'll come quietly" - but then the surprise is that an ASBO was used for something more serious - an actual crime of car theft.
> not whole case here as he HAD actually comitted the crime.
Yep, agreed. It wasn't clear at first that this is what happened. (although I still find it creepy that the police are trawling sites looking for an easy boost to the arrest statistics)