British Woman Prosecuted for Selling Vegetables Only by Pounds and Ounces

Cryptogon
January 23rd, 2008

Via: Wall Street Journal:

London’s East End is notorious for its criminals, from serial murderer Jack the Ripper to mobsters the Kray twins.

The latest candidate for this rogue’s gallery is Janet Devers, a 63-year-old woman who runs a vegetable stall at Ridley Road market. Her alleged crime: selling goods only by the pound and the ounce.

Ms. Devers, whose stall has been in the family for 60 years, faces 13 criminal charges stemming from not selling her produce by the kilogram and the gram. She stands accused of breaking a European Union-instigated rule that countries must use metric measures to standardize trade. The rest of Europe is metric.

But Brits drink their milk and beer by the pint. On the road they rack up miles. Imperial measurement “is what we know, how we are. Who’s to tell us to change?” said Scott Lomax, a fellow vegetable-stall owner.

Ms. Devers, who pleaded not guilty in a court appearance on Friday, is being lionized for her stand in Britain’s feisty tabloids. If convicted, she could be fined as much as $130,000.

“It’s disgusting,” said Ms. Devers of the charges. “We have knifings. We have killings,” she said. “And they’re taking me to court because I’m selling in pounds and ounces.”

And, equally illegally, in bowls. Ten of the counts against her relate to purveying produce, such as hot Scotch-bonnet peppers, by the bowl.

The United Kingdom wrote an exemption into its measurements law to meet the EU metric requirement in 2000, as Brussels allowed. It stated that traders must use metric weights, but they could use imperial measures as well. The problem is that Ms. Devers allegedly didn’t have metric prices on all of her produce when she was charged late last year, and two of her scales only measured in pounds and ounces.

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  1. Mr. Hosed on January 23rd, 2008

    OMFG!

    I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s convicted either. And I thought we were insane….

  2. John Lee on January 23rd, 2008

    Time for a Revolution. Off with their heads!

  3. Seabhcan on January 24th, 2008

    This articles ignores two important points. First is that the EU dropped this law last year. The EU no longer demands that the UK uses metric. Second is that it is the local town council that is bringing the case, not the EU.

    This woman has said herself in a tv interview that she thinks someone in the town council has something personal against her.

  4. Rocky Davidfeller on January 24th, 2008

    Anyway, WE DON´T WANT AND WE DON´T NEED THE EU! We, that is, WE THE PEOPLE!

  5. Richard Norton on January 24th, 2008

    Need to post the name and number of the person who is bringing this charge…. WE THE PEOPLE will hound them out of their seat…

    Get ready to STAND UP to these losers…. vote all of them out of office

  6. patrick miller on January 24th, 2008

    This is clearly a death penalty case.

  7. Richard Norton on January 24th, 2008

    The Miliband’s will protect us…….NOT!

    Get that family in a corner and explain what DEMOCRACY is…. may as well benn Jr too

  8. Drew on January 24th, 2008

    if this sort of thing happened here in Hawaii USA I would make sure to pay off the fine with the money i made from selling the homes and assets of the legislators who signed this bill into law after promptly pirating their homes in their sleep!

    FACT IS: The government was designed by the people for the people and intended to be made of and representation of the people, and no law that claims to do otherwise is legal ethical moral constitutional human American or patriotic and therefore is no law, thus if any enforcement officer claims to arrest any person upon illegal or false charges as described above would be committing treason and the people or person has the right to defend his life liberty and property by any means necessary under those circumstances.

    it would be the same thing if congress enacted a bill that would make it illegal to care for your child after the age of 2 upon which the child would be removed from your custody and thrown into the grand canyon to his/hers death — would you allow the state to enforce that law? is it a law in the first place if it purports to have authority over you the highest strongest branch of government upon which no checks or balances should be weighed against, “of the people for the people and by the people” yeah right, this government says one thing and does another, next time the government decides it is going to take money from you, ask your self the question above, WHAT GIVES THE GOVERNMENT THE AUTHORITY! You and I are the highest form of government in this country of 300 million men and women we have 300million kings and queens sovereign and accountable to none but ones self and the rule of common law and respect.

    good day and good luck america
    -
    Drew

  9. key on January 25th, 2008

    ALL I CAN SAY IS STICK THE EU FOR THIER DUMB STANDARDISATIONS, STICK THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR THIER UNDER HANDEDED BACK STABBING TRAITOROUS SELLING OF THE TRUE BRITISH WAY OF LIFE TO FREAKIN FORIEGNERS FOR MASSIVE CASH INCENTIVES, STICK ANY FORIEGN POWER THAT TRIES TO INVOLVE US IN THIER TRUE AIMS OF EMPIRE BUILDING AND STICK ANY COUNTRY OR PERSONS THAT THINKS WE ARE THIER CASH COWS WHERE THE FREAKIN SUN DONT SHINE. OH AND MAY ALL WHO READ THIS HAVE A NICE DAY :)

  10. 1984sAnsweris1776 on January 25th, 2008

    Well, now you see how things are when people from other countries call the shots. Disarmed, Discouraged, Disrespected and now “Normalized” like oh so many feet of Soviet rule. You allowed these morons to take over your country. It’s your responsibility to take it back. And if you think the old lady’s crime is bad, wait until they start arresting you for speaking against Soviet Style rule altogether. You ain’t seen NOTHING yet, because like drugs; you have to keep getting more and powerful drugs or causing more pain to others to keep getting that same feeling of being “God”. In a nutshell, you’re being ruled by nazis. Now what are you going to do?