Dragon Bannatyne threatens to break arms of 'Russian' bloke Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne upset the gentle sensibility of the twitterati yesterday, after he forgot he wasn't talking to one bloke down the pub when making empty threats to break the arms of a "Russian". He offered a £25,000 reward to anyone who could track down the person behind the Twitter handle YuriVasilyev_, who …
Given the threats made to his daughter, I doubt it would be in the public interest for the CPS to drag him before the beak, although they've done dafter things in the past.
All he'd have to do is opt for crown court trial and I don't think there is a jury in the land who wouldn't say he was justified in saying what he did.
I understand his anger, even if I can't condone his resolution process. I'd be equally angry if someone attempted blackmail on me and used threats against my family or close relations. My anger, but probably not my concern, would diminish as my relationship increased in distance.
The Little (or not so little) shit blackmailer is despicable and deserves punishment if detected and found guilty!
It is, generally, not cost effective even if you are a Government (mostly) to indulge threats of violence by yourself or paid/unpaid proxies.
If Mr. B. hadn't threatened violence and/or a reward would we ever be having this exchange?
Laws ONLY apply to people who get caught and don't have enough money to bribe/lawyer their way out... *shrugs*
If he'd seriously wanted the blackmailers arms broken he'd not have tweeted it - he'd have just quietly bribed/scammed someone at twitter to reveal whatever information they have about YuriWhatsitov and/or hired a private investigator (there's probably a few looking for work now the NotW is no more) to track down the guy's location...
As Bill Bailey said 'There’s this one celebrity, Rosie O’Donnell, a talk show host, and she said this: “I don’t know anything about Afghanistan, but I know it’s full of terrorists, speaking as a mother.” So what is this "speaking as a mother" then? Is that a euphemism for "talking out of my arse"?'
So is "Speaking as a father" as similar thing?
> So what is this "speaking as a mother" then? Is that a euphemism for "talking out of my arse"?'
>
> So is "Speaking as a father" as similar thing?
The only real difference is that Rosie O'Donnell is talking irrelevant nonsense and the poster you're criticising is using the phrase in a meaningful context.
He could be paraphrased for the slow of thinking as saying something like "Being a father has affected my view of the world such that I would now say X when I formerly would have said Y."
Hope that helps.
"So is "Speaking as a father" as similar thing?"
---
No.
Let me explain: when you have children, your whole life changes according to their needs. A huge chunk of your free time and your money goes into raising them properly. Why do you sacrifice all that time and all that money? Because you love them more than you love anyone else, including yourself. If there is any person in your life you'd jump in front of a speeding car for, then that person is your child.
So when someone threatens to hurt your child, you'll do anything to stop him/them. In many cases - probably in huge majority of cases - as violently as possible.
Hell, tie them down and let child's mother deal with them... then clean up the mess and get rid of the evidence.
Couldn't give a fuck which laws apply or don't in this situation. Preventing someone from hurting someone you love by any means at your disposal is never wrong, regardless of legality.
By the way, I'm not advocating vigilante-style justice should be the norm, or that it was the best way to deal with the situation -- just that had he actually gone through with it I would not blame him in the slightest. If you threaten violence you should expect it in return.
I don't think multiple bones take any more time to heal than single ones, it would just mean a full arm cast instead of just forearm. Still only 6 weeks in plaster.
If you want to make the healing longer you'd have to stagger the breakages, and lets face it, it'll be a lot easier to break someone's left arm when you'd already broken their right 3 weeks earlier!
But then I wouldn't threaten anybody's daughter neither and I suppose others have done a lot worse for less. Poverty and hunger are great driving forces, they are still people who traffic drugs in Singapore even though if caught it's an automatice death sentence. If one of those mules were to weigh up the risk to profit ratio which do you think they'd choose, a bit of discomfort for 50,000 or a broken neck for probably next to nothing?
1. fair play to Duncan. he reacted like any father. For anybody talking about his 'illegal threat', lets not forget how illegal it is to threaten his daughter. Another example of the victim becoming the criminal.
People have no fear of the consequences of their actions these days because they can get away with it and do-gooders will go on about their 'rights'.
2. Break both of your own arms? OK they will heal, but while you have 2 arms in a cast, who will wipe your arse?? That would humble any man!
"But other tweeters soon waded in, pointing out that Bannatyne was making very public illegal threats."
Oh no it's illegal!! We have to point it out!!!
What are these people doing tweeting? Don't they have to support Obama doing the debt ceiling thing?
A couple of broken arms seems like a very mild response in those circumstances.
Laying into the father seems like a misguided waste of energy. Laying into the thug would be more appropriate.
The serious question is what, in the face of something like this, should someone (celebrity or not) *do* ? What would the police response to this be, especially as it professes to come from another country?
Threats of violence can't be tolerated in any way.
I have to wonder what DB has done to these Bellarussians to incur their wrath though.
Let's suppose he has royally screwed them over, how would they get their own back?
We only have the very public Twitter-base side of the story to go on.
"I have to wonder what DB has done to these Bellarussians to incur their wrath though."
Erm, he's got a lot of money. It really is that simple. £35,000 isn't even pocket change to him, which is why it's clear this isn't personal: It's just some thugs thinking he'll pay because it's such small change. Don't forget: Scamming £10 off 10000 people is a lot easier than trying to scam £50,000 off one person, and you've a better chance of getting away with it, too.
on those Glasgow icies? Sounds like the vans round Manchester. Charlie with your choc ice!
Irrespective of his past, his daughter doesn't even deserve the worry from a threat. As a father I'd want to do the same although I would be more discrete. I hope the CPS don't do anything. It's an entirely understandable reaction.
Posting on Twitter asking to have the guys arms broken is just downright wrong.
The right way is to msg him back saying "oh noes plx don't hurt my Hollie - meet me behind the Dog and Duck tomo night and I'll give you the £35k" whereupon you break his arms, tie him to a concrete block and send him for a swim in the Thames. Some ppl...
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