Drink driver blames unicorn for crash
From correspondents in Los Angeles
March 15, 2007 08:58am
Article from: Reuters
A US man accused of drink-driving and crashing his truck into a lamp post told police a unicorn had been at the wheel when it careered off the road.
Phillip Holliday, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal endangerment and drunk-driving when he appeared before a court in the western state of Montana yesterday, the Billings Gazette reported.
The court heard that Holliday has five previous convictions, four felonies, 35 misdemeanors and 53 traffic violations - including 28 convictions for driving with a suspended licence.
His March 7 crash in Billings was witnessed by two police officers, said prosecutor Ingrid Rosenquist, but Holliday still insisted a unicorn was driving when he slammed into the street lighting, shortly after running a red light.
Husband rips wife's eyes out after she refuses sex
From correspondents in Nimes, France
March 21, 2007 07:28am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
A MAN who ripped out his wife's eyes in a fit of rage was sentenced by a French court to 30 years behind bars today.
Mohamed Hadfi, 31, tore out his 23-year-old wife Samira Bari's eyes following a heated argument in their apartment in the southern French city of Nimes in July 2003 after she refused to have sex with him.
Ms Bari, who had demanded a divorce before the attack, was permanently blinded.
Hadfi, a Moroccan, initially fled to Germany. He was finally arrested and sent back to France, where he was indicted for "acts of torture and barbarity leading to a permanent disability".
Prosecutor Dominique Tourette demanded that Hadfi be sentenced to 30 years in prison, two thirds of which must be served in full, calling the defendant a "diabolic torturer".
Once his sentence is served, Hadfi will be deported and barred from ever returning to France.
His lawyer Jean-Pierre Cabanes meanwhile insisted there were extenuating circumstances.
"This is the result of a marriage that was arranged, not chosen," he said, pointing to the gulf separating his client, who came from southern Morocco, and his young wife, who had grown up in France.
Mr Cabanes begged the jury for leniency, claiming his client's action "appeared to stem from a mental illness."
From correspondents in Los Angeles
March 15, 2007 08:58am
Article from: Reuters
A US man accused of drink-driving and crashing his truck into a lamp post told police a unicorn had been at the wheel when it careered off the road.
Phillip Holliday, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal endangerment and drunk-driving when he appeared before a court in the western state of Montana yesterday, the Billings Gazette reported.
The court heard that Holliday has five previous convictions, four felonies, 35 misdemeanors and 53 traffic violations - including 28 convictions for driving with a suspended licence.
His March 7 crash in Billings was witnessed by two police officers, said prosecutor Ingrid Rosenquist, but Holliday still insisted a unicorn was driving when he slammed into the street lighting, shortly after running a red light.
Husband rips wife's eyes out after she refuses sex
From correspondents in Nimes, France
March 21, 2007 07:28am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
A MAN who ripped out his wife's eyes in a fit of rage was sentenced by a French court to 30 years behind bars today.
Mohamed Hadfi, 31, tore out his 23-year-old wife Samira Bari's eyes following a heated argument in their apartment in the southern French city of Nimes in July 2003 after she refused to have sex with him.
Ms Bari, who had demanded a divorce before the attack, was permanently blinded.
Hadfi, a Moroccan, initially fled to Germany. He was finally arrested and sent back to France, where he was indicted for "acts of torture and barbarity leading to a permanent disability".
Prosecutor Dominique Tourette demanded that Hadfi be sentenced to 30 years in prison, two thirds of which must be served in full, calling the defendant a "diabolic torturer".
Once his sentence is served, Hadfi will be deported and barred from ever returning to France.
His lawyer Jean-Pierre Cabanes meanwhile insisted there were extenuating circumstances.
"This is the result of a marriage that was arranged, not chosen," he said, pointing to the gulf separating his client, who came from southern Morocco, and his young wife, who had grown up in France.
Mr Cabanes begged the jury for leniency, claiming his client's action "appeared to stem from a mental illness."
