Free Republic

Children as young as eight are being taught to commit crimes by 'their parents' and have been reportedly ransacking businesses in New York City. In what's been dubbed the modern day Oliver Twist, the New York Post reported that the young crooks have been terrorizing bars on the east and west of Manhattan and Brooklyn for months. A typical crime spree will vary from kids snatching cash from unattended bags to stealing cash from open safes with two businesses hit in the past two weeks. In the first instance children try to solicit money under the guise of raising funds...

A crime tale straight out of Charles Dickens is unfolding in the Big Apple — with adults “directing” children who appear no older than 10 to steal from unsuspecting businesses, witnesses told The Post. The chubby-cheeked crooks have terrorized bars on the east and west side of Manhattan and Brooklyn for months, graduating from snatching money in unattended bags to stealing cash from open safes in at least two bars in the last few weeks, according to workers and owners.

A brain surgeon has been suspended from his hospital in a dispute over whether he tried to "steal" an extra helping of soup. Terence Hope was sent home after it was claimed he took the soup from his hospital's staff canteen without paying. The consultant neurosurgeon, who is one of Britain's most respected specialists in his field, claimed he was getting extra croutons. Colleagues at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham were said to be furious at the move by management, which they said would hurt patients. Mr Hope, 57, was ordered to keep quiet about his suspension by hospital bosses,...