Man jailed for urinating at PC Keith Palmer memorial during protest
Andrew Banks, 28, of Stansted, Essex, was sentenced to 14 days in custody, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The Tottenham Hotspur fan who had mental health problems said he was in central London "to protect statues" but admitted in court that he had no idea what statues he was supposed to be protecting. After having drunk 16 pints friday night through to saturday morning and being up all night he promptly set about protecting the statues by urinating next to the memorial to PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed while on duty during the Westminster terror attack on 22 March 2017.
Banks contacted the police voluntarily after being confronted by his father.
theperfectusername i am not defending this mans actions he should not of relieved himself in a public place but look at the other side of the coin he admitted he had no idea who this statue was so no malice intented although as i do not in any way agree with his actions and the second think that strikes me is with corona virus all public toilets are closed
@smiler2012 Good point about the toilets being closed. But if he's the kind of guy that drinks 16 pints a night I doubt this'll be the first time he's done it. As for that memorial that's the one he was allocated to protect so whether he remembers who's it was is immaterial.
@ThePerfectUsername again i am not defending him has the mental illness being a factor it is just not a way to justify his actions as they where totally unacceptable yes you where right if you drink sixteen pints the day before you bladder is not a sponge alas but with that much alcohol was he still drunk i wonder effecting his rash action
@smiler2012 His unspecified mental health problems were offered by way of mitigating circumstances but having drunk 16 pints through the night and not having had any sleep I reckon they were probably the most significant factors. Had his mental health been considered significant my guess is that his diagnosis would have been stated too. His state of inebriation at the time can't be determined since he only handed himself in after having been confronted by his dad when the images were first published.
@SW-User There is no general law forbidding urinating in public in the UK providing it's not for the purpose of causing damage (urine is a bio hazard) indecent exposure or outrage. Had there been no memorial there I reckon the worst he'd have been charged with would be drunk and disorderly.
@smiler2012 Yeah it's true. With no better way to pass theier time thanks to the virus thousands of rival football supporters decided to team up and have a day out in london under the guise of protecting the statues from the Black Live Matter march which took place the same day at a totally different location. 🤷♂️
