Great Britain: Ruined by black Jelly Baby (Workers cleared in Racial Harassment suit over candies)

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | November 3, 2006 | TONY BONNICI

[Stoat]

 
Cleared ... station manager Victor Cooney
 

 EXCLUSIVE 

Ruined by black Jelly Baby

 
By TONY BONNICI
November 03, 2006
 
 

 

 

 

 
TWO Tube workers have been cleared of racially harassing a colleague with JELLY BABIES.

 

A jury took just one hour to acquit Carlo Rozza, 45, and Victor Cooney, 47, at the end of a farcical eight-day trial that cost £250,000.

They had denied taunting black colleague Daniel Jean-Marie with black Jelly Babies.

Victor Cooney said the strain had nearly destroyed his marriage and relationship with his children.

He said: “The trial has been a complete farce. The whole thing has been a disgrace. We’ve had this hanging over us for 2½ years — and during that time my life has been wasted.

“I screwed up my marriage by not paying enough attention to my wife. Thankfully we are still together.”

Station manager Mr Cooney — who has a daughter of 13 and an 11-year-old son — went on: “I’ve also missed a lot of time with my children, all in a row over Jelly Babies.

“The verdict is a victory for common sense. This sort of trial should not have taken place. It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Mr Cooney and Carlo Rozza were charged with racial harassment following a complaint by black colleague Daniel Jean-Marie, who is in his 20s.

He claimed the pair taunted him with black Jelly Babies — and were biting the heads off them.

Both men were suspended. Mr Cooney returned to work after three months and Mr Rozza after eight months. They were cleared by an internal probe.

And a jury took just an hour to find both not guilty at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court in central London after an eight-day trial costing £250,000.

After the pair were suspended in February 2004, Mr Jean-Marie went off work claiming stress from the case. He only returned to duties at a different station in March this year.

The court heard all three had been at Caledonian Road station, North London, in January 2004.

In a statement to the hearing, Mr Cooney said: “One time I gave Daniel a bag of Jelly Babies and he called me a racist because there were too many black ones.”

When asked by a police officer if he had made comments or jokes about the sweets, he replied: “No.”

Mr Cooney, of Southgate, North London, added: “I made no reference to cutting Jelly Babies’ heads off.”

Mr Rozza told the jury he walked into a staff room to find Mr Cooney and Mr Jean-Marie, of Barking, East London, chatting.

He said: “I think they were joking about Jelly Babies. I asked Vic for a Jelly Baby. I asked him for black Jelly Babies.

“Mr Jean-Marie became angry and stormed out of the room.” Last night there was fury over why the case was brought.

Tory MP Mike Penning said: “We are desperate for police on our streets. But if taxpayers’ cash is wasted on ridiculous cases like this how can we afford it?”

Retired Detective Superintendent and murder squad boss John Jones said: “There is so much crime that to waste police time like this is outrageous.”

[Stoat]

See Also:

(same story but includes harsh language)

Fury as Jellybaby Two Cleared Of All Charges - UK News Headlines

[Stoat]

Jelly Babies Candies

[Dallas59]

RACISM!!! WHERE ARE THE WHITE ONES????

[Question Liberal Authority]

The same thing happened to me once when someone handed me a cracker.

[Stoat]

RACISM!!! WHERE ARE THE WHITE ONES????

<<< phoning Johnny Cochran

 

[Jeff Chandler]

<<< phoning Johnny Cochran

That would have to be that phone from that old Twilight Zone episode.

[unspun]

Licorice?

[Stoat]

That would have to be that phone from that old Twilight Zone episode.
 

Yes, the phone that allows you to speak to 'those departed'?  The toll would probably be pretty high.   :-)

Who is the next (living person) in line for the title of "lawyer most adept at winning insane court cases by playing the race card"?

[Stoat]

Licorice?

I'm not exactly sure.  I haven't seen them in stores and I haven't (knowingly) eaten any.  They look similar to Gummi Bears, and I don't know if Gummi Bears are 'technically' called "licorice", not being a confectionary expert.

No small children in my vicinity....they would probably be the ones to ask, as kids are usually the candy experts   :-)

[kalee]

Good grief!

[MadIvan]

Well the Jellybabies motto was, "Jelly Babies live in a wibbly, wobbly world of their own."

Regards, Ivan

[kalee]

Grape, they're not really black. They are dark purple.
That's one of the reasons we found this story so hilarious.

[unspun]

Hmm.

Nearly all the colors of the rainbow.

Perhaps Jelly Babies are a front for homosexual activists.

Say it ain't so, Doctor!

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Obviously the yellow one is French.

[kalee]

My husband is a Dr. Who fan. lol
He liked Tom Baker best.

[kalee]

roflol

[Caipirabob]

I've known for years that every time someone hands me a "Tootsie roll" they were suggesting I masticate on a hard, dark phallus...And where is my Lexus for my pain?!?

Tootsie Roll, the most offensive sexual harassment tool known to mankind.../sarc /barf /chunks

Really, there needs to be a financial penalty for wasting the state's time with these cases, both here and abroad. Britain has only a small percentage of cases like these compared to the crap that idiots perpetuate within our legal system. Altering the process via tort reform would be a beginning, and tying heavy financial penalties to cases deemed "frivolous" would go a long way towards curtailing fools who are trying to destroy this country via litigation.

[Mrs Ivan]

What a great use of time and resources that was.

[6SJ7]

The obvious solution is a ban the sale of Jelly Babies or perhaps institute a 10 day cooling off period before allowing a purchase to reduce the temptation to bite off the head of a Jelly Baby.

Interesting to see a raving Islamo-fascist can call for the destruction of Jews and Israel, but prosecutors focus on the serious crime of Jelly Baby discrimination.

[MadIvan]

There is room for a political party to be politically incorrect, cut taxes and be nasty to terrorists. Sideshow Dave doesn't understand this at all.

Love, Ivan