Rowland Taylor's Ghost: Punishment to fit the crime for Hadleigh's miscreants

By Derek Davis

6th Aug 2021 | Opinion

This column is something of a crime and punishment postscript to my last scribbling, albeit deserving, I think, of one mighty big PS.

Political fallouts tend to be at their most acerbic, don't you think, within parties than between them?

Blue-on-blue action are especially joyous cage fights to watch, as the Tory Party's default ironclad self-discipline gives way to teenage tantrums of thwarted personal ambitions. (Ah, Bolter Ferguson, we do so miss you at Hadleigh Nub News).

Such is the case of the erstwhile president of the Hadleigh Conservative branch on the one foot and Generalissimo John Ward, el caudillo of Babergh district council, on the other.

Ian 'Footsie' Grutchfield, joint impresario of the School for Scandal, sorry the Old School, was sentenced at Ipswich Magistrates' Court last week, having pleaded guilty to sticking his appendage into Generalissimo's door with a view to exchanging pleasantries with him over the issue of car parking charges.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Generalissimo was not at home, presumably counting the council's pennies just before Christmas.

Footsie was the duke of hazard who led a convoy of hooting and tooting Tories and others to the hacienda. His backdoor invasion was stopped by the quick thinking of Generalissimo's daughter, Eleanor.

As a result, Footsie received a restraining order, must complete 200 hours of unpaid community work and needs to fork out £500 compensation to Miss Ward, for whom the incident clearly was a horrific and thuggish experience.

The whole damnable affair is a reputational vehicle crash: not least and once again for the town of Hadleigh.

For on the same day that Footsie's road movie ambitions were detailed, another resident of the town had an assignation with the courts.

Alan Rogers pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by falsely representing that he had money to pay for meals or accommodation when he didn't. It appears that he racked up unpaid tabs totalling over £1200.

One suspects that both gentlemen were acting out of character and in the case of Mr Rogers, his defence brief suggested that there may be mental health issues which might need to be taken into account ahead of sentencing.

We all act oddly, some of us all the time; others whilst under considerable stress. My current successor as Dean of Hadleigh wrote a rather lovely and generous-spirited testimonial for Footsie explaining the good side of the man.

However, in both these examples there is evidence of considerable planning. In

Mr Rogers' case, he seems to have carefully targeted rather upmarket businesses, rather than say, Hadleigh Kebab Takeaway or the Premier Inn on Star Lane, Ipswich. He was clearly going for quality as well as quantity of experience.

At the same time, and please do call me foolish if you must, but surely Footsie could have raised his concerns with Generalissimo at a Tory members' meeting - behind closed doors rather than stuffed awkwardly half-way into someone else's? I'm also unaware, if offered an apology to the Ward family.

And gathering together something of the order of a dozen vehicles for his deputation would hint at planning aforethought and not some spur of the moment whim?

There is a hint in both cases of entitlement: entitlement to getting something - a lifestyle or a point of view across - in a manner that others wouldn't even countenance.

I wish both gentlemen well: but even more I wish their victims - Miss Ward and the various hospitality owners affected - well.

And I pray a prayer of thankfulness that such interesting characters continue to exist. As without them, there wouldn't be a column for me to write.

Amen.

  • Rowland Taylor's Ghost is not a staff member of Nub News, nor does he do social media in any form, even an Ouiji Board. Any such manifestation is probably the invention of a mortal being, with ill intent, similarly to those who martyred RTG in the first place.
  • Feel free to use the unique black Nub It button to upload your news article or letter, which can be found on the home page.

     

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