Another foolish footballer

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Pale Rider

Veteran
Another day in the criminal justice system and another footballer in the dock.

The latest man into bat is Arron Wan Bissaka, who Manchester United spent £50m on a few years ago.

His offence category of choice is motoring, having admitted driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence.

To complicate matters, there was an earlier offence of speeding for which he was convicted and disqualified.

The predictable hook wriggling in this case centres around getting the speeding conviction set aside, which means the later drive disqualified (the most serious offence) must fail.

To do that, he has signed a Statutory Declaration saying he was unaware of the speeding case hearing.

The most likely next step is the conviction will be set aside, and a new hearing date set to enable Wan Bissaka to defend it.

As ever, it comes down to tactics.

He might plead guilty to the speeding, but with well-financed mitigation hope to avoid the ban, thereby achieving his main aim of getting out from under the drive disqualified.

Or he may have an equally well-financed defence to the speeding, but the old saying the camera doesn't lie usually applies.

The driving without a licence is not terribly impressive, suggesting he's not bothered to sort out his driving entitlement since arriving in the UK.

Over the years, I've noticed certain groups of people take to certain offences.

With footballers it's nearly always either motoring or sexual assault.

Another player who will provide material for this thread in due course is Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy, currently locked up awaiting trial for several rapes.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...fences-while-banned-without-licence-insurance
 
The driving without a licence is not terribly impressive, suggesting he's not bothered to sort out his driving entitlement since arriving in the UK.

Arron Wan Bissaka is English, born and raised in South London.

I don't think male footballers are any more or less likely to be convicted of certain crimes than compared to males between the ages of 18-35 overall.

Maybe young males are more predisposed to risk taking which could lead to ending up in the criminal justice system.

However it seems that it is open season on footballers at the moment, perhaps because of Marcus Rashford shaming the government and the vast majority of professional footballers playing in the Premier League continuing to take the knee before kick off.
 
OP
OP
Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Veteran
Arron Wan Bissaka is English, born and raised in South London.

Fair enough, means he's got even less of an excuse for not sorting his licence.

I don't think male footballers are any more or less likely to be convicted of certain crimes than compared to males between the ages of 18-35 overall.

The vast majority of offending for males overall can be characterised as 'thumping and thieving' in all its many forms.

You rarely hear of a footballer involved in those type of offences.

However it seems that it is open season on footballers at the moment, perhaps because of Marcus Rashford shaming the government and the vast majority of professional footballers playing in the Premier League continuing to take the knee before kick off.

Moral there is don't break the law and you won't get any stick for it.
 
The vast majority of offending for males overall can be characterised as 'thumping and thieving' in all its many forms.

You rarely hear of a footballer involved in those type of offences

I'm politely questioning your assumptions here. Male footballers don't have a proclivity to offend in certain crimes just because they are footballers. I think you're reading a headline and jumping to a conclusion. Just like you concluded that someone without a British sounding name "arrived into the UK."
 
OP
OP
Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Veteran
I'm politely questioning your assumptions here. Male footballers don't have a proclivity to offend in certain crimes just because they are footballers. I think you're reading a headline and jumping to a conclusion. Just like you concluded that someone without a British sounding name "arrived into the UK."

It's just an observation from long experience.

If there's a footballer in the dock, I'm all but certain it will be for motoring or sexual offences.
 

Milkfloat

Active Member
It would be interesting to know the offending rates of footballers compared to their peers. It would also be internet ing to compare the conviction rates as the papers always seem to be full of footballers seemingly being able to get away with it’.
 

Rusty Nails

Country Member
I would hazard a guess that, unless the op is talking about footballers from the local unpaid leagues, he is talking about very wealthy young men, not necessarily paid for their intelligence or humility, who can afford flash, fast cars and get a lot more attention from young females than the average young men.

I would hazard a further guess that if the rest of the population of young men in the country were as wealthy, with the same opportunities, the rate of such criminal charges would mirror the rate in professional football.
 
OP
OP
Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Veteran
Is it too simple to suggest that they are often extremely rich young men but without the family contacts that sometimes allow, say, Eton educated young men to quietly make legal processes disappear?

Oh dear, so you think a traffic cop who nicks an Etonian for a motoring offence is going to quietly forget it about it, along with the custody sergeant and everyone at the nick if it's drink driving.

Bear in mind traffic cops are famously mean spirited - so called black rats - to the extent that nicking a CID officer is regarded as a better result for them than an ordinary member of the public.

Once the electronic trail is started it's impossible to bury, unless all the civvies in the police's admin support unit are also in on it.

Plus the CPS staff who help prepare the case, the lawyers involved in its court journey, all the staff at whichever court it lands in, and the magistrates or judge who hears it.

Not to mention the evil Press who often, but not always, get hold of these things.

Is it likely that all these people, probably amounting to dozens, are likely to conspire together to allow a chinless wonder from Eton, who few of them have any regard for, to avoid the process?
 
Oh dear, so you think a traffic cop who nicks an Etonian for a motoring offence is going to quietly forget it about it, along with the custody sergeant and everyone at the nick if it's drink driving.
No, that’s not what I think.

The investigation of crimes other than pass/fail evidenced driving offences will often be pursued with more or less vigour depending on who the subject is. It shouldn’t happen but I don’t believe it’s controversial to suggest that it does.
 
OP
OP
Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Veteran
Not that maybe though never underestimate Nick Freeman.

On the other hand Etonians charged with economic crimes or maybe trashing a pub with Bullingdon mates?

Freeman is an example of purchasing an acquittal, which anyone with the resources can attempt.

Not sure how many of those still at Eton have graduated to economic offending, but in that case it's often a matter of who you've upset.

Your trashed pub example is ultimately the same as the motoring one, once the police report is made it's all but impossible to bury it.

The publican may accept full restitution in exchange for not making a fuss about it, but again that's solely a matter of the perpetrators having access to money, it's nothing to do with their schooling or family contacts.
 

FishFright

Well-Known Member
Oh dear, so you think a traffic cop who nicks an Etonian for a motoring offence is going to quietly forget it about it, along with the custody sergeant and everyone at the nick if it's drink driving.

Bear in mind traffic cops are famously mean spirited - so called black rats - to the extent that nicking a CID officer is regarded as a better result for them than an ordinary member of the public.

Once the electronic trail is started it's impossible to bury, unless all the civvies in the police's admin support unit are also in on it.

Plus the CPS staff who help prepare the case, the lawyers involved in its court journey, all the staff at whichever court it lands in, and the magistrates or judge who hears it.

Not to mention the evil Press who often, but not always, get hold of these things.

Is it likely that all these people, probably amounting to dozens, are likely to conspire together to allow a chinless wonder from Eton, who few of them have any regard for, to avoid the process?

I know two son's of a Lord who have had more than one drink driving case go away. They never expected to be charged.
 
I would hazard a guess that, unless the op is talking about footballers from the local unpaid leagues, he is talking about very wealthy young men, not necessarily paid for their intelligence or humility, who can afford flash, fast cars and get a lot more attention from young females than the average young men.

I would hazard a further guess that if the rest of the population of young men in the country were as wealthy, with the same opportunities, the rate of such criminal charges would mirror the rate in professional football.
You're right, that's just a guess.:smile:
 
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