The Hangover News

Safe Drugs
A LANCASHIRE CITY'S GOING TO PILOT WALK-IN DRUG TESTING BOOTHS
The police are said to be "most supportive" of the scheme already

(via)

People headed for nights out in Preston, Lancashire are due to be able to check the purity and strength of their drugs in walk-in booths, as part of a trial set to launch early next year.

The scheme was announced on Sunday, and will be run by non-profit organisation The Loop, who provide harm reduction services on everything from alcohol, sexual health and mental health to drugs.

"It's a very new service and some people might see it as quite radical," said Fiona Measham, director of The Loop, "but it's focusing on harm reduction." The scheme has been "signed off by the relevant agencies" but doesn't have a set start date yet, as per The Loop's Facebook page.

The Loop have already been behind testing facilities at events like Secret Garden Party, Kendal Calling festival, and Manchester's Warehouse Project.

First-Class Grudge
AN OXFORD GRADUATE IS SUING THE UNI FOR £1 MILLION
Mostly because he didn't get a first and thinks his 2:1 has held him back

(via)

A graduate of Oxford University is suing the institution for £1 million, claiming that "negligent" teaching on his modern history course led to him earning a 2:1 rather than a first-class degree.

Faiz Siddiqui, 38, graduated from the uni 16 years ago and is bringing a loss of earnings claim – for not achieving his goal of become an international commercial lawyer – valued by his lawyers at a minimum of £1 million.

Siddiqui told the High Court that the tuition he claimed was "appallingly bad" had brought down his overall mark in final year. Oxford University plan to have Siddiqui's claim struck down because it's been so long since he attended the school. According to the Sunday Times, there's to be a judgment handed down later this month.

McDonald's "Drive-On"
A BANNED MOTORIST WAS JAILED FOR USING FAKE PLATES ON A CAR
He was caught driving around a McDonald's car park in Hull months after his ban

(via)

A man who'd been banned from driving earlier this year has been jailed for 24 weeks after being caught riding around a McDonald's car park in a Honda coupe bearing fake number plates.

Robert Wilson, 22, told the court he'd been cajoled by friends to put the plates on. When he was stopped by police he did say he was driving with fake plates, but said he'd "only drove it on here", referring to the car.

"It appears you have been hanging around with the wrong sort of people', Recorder Richard Woolfall said, before sentencing Robert over the weekend. "But you are 22 now, you are a young man, and you have to take responsibility for your own actions."

Robert had previously been caught riding a motorbike through residential areas well over the speed limit in February, going on to lead police on a high-speed chase through the west Hull area.

Punchdrunk
A MAN PLEADED GUILTY TO DRUNKENLY HITTING A FLIGHT ATTENDANT
He then broke his knee after a passenger tackled him to the ground on the plane

(via)

An intoxicated man on a flight to Manchester from Istanbul allegedly tried to hit a female flight attendant before he was rugby-tackled to the ground by another passenger.

Guy Lardinois then disembarked the flight with a broken leg, after he'd reportedly had four gin and tonics and been asked by a flight attendant if he was illegally smoking on the flight. He denied that he had, but then an argument broke out when he asked for more booze, and ended up throwing a "glancing blow" at a flight attendant when he sat down next to her at the back of the plane.

Lardinois was given a six-month custodial sentence suspended for two years – meaning we won't have to serve time in prison – and ordered to pay a £600 fine, £100 compensation, a £115 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs, on Friday. He has to pay it all before he leaves the country again.

Lardinois had reportedly been flying to the UK to attend the funeral of a company director, which his defence lawyer said had exacerbated his "sombre mood".