This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays, we travel the globe for some truly strange legal stories.
First, we look at a case out of Congo with some very unusual allegations of criminal activity. Then, we find out how some people are revolting against the use of photo radar in Toronto. And finally, we land in Florida where we look at a Florida man, er, lawyer who appears to think that he is above the rules that apply to trust accounting.
Follow the jump and read more about this week’s weirdest legal cases. Honey, I Shrunk His Penis
In Canada, pretending to practice witchcraft was once a criminal offence. And criminal law prevented people from manipulating the legitimate beliefs of others to extort them. These charges were rare but important. Some people legitimately believe in witchcraft and other forms of magic.
This has been the cause of some widespread panic in Congo, with fourteen “victims” of sorcery detained by police, along with eleven suspected sorcerers arrested. The crime?
Using sorcery to shrink or steal men’s penises.
Apparently, the spells were cast on unsuspecting men in communal taxis, and then the sorcerers would demand payment from their victims to reverse the spells. Allegedly, some victims may have been “in on it” and helping to incite others to fear, and then to pay the sorcerers not to cast the spells on them.
Robin Hood, but make it driving law
Toronto is having a major problem with enforcement of its speed laws.
After installing photo radar cameras throughout the city, Toronto police have been busy. But not on the case of ticketing and dealing with suspected speeders and bad drivers. Instead, they’ve been investigating the repeated thefts of these speed cameras.
I’m not sure the consequences of a simple speeding ticket justify the potential consequences of a criminal conviction for stealing law enforcement tools, but I do know that many people just cannot stand to get a ticket. So far, four cameras valued at about $50,000 each have gone missing. Another one has been vandalized with spray paint.
Look, people hate photo radar. In some respects, did the police not expect this?
Florida Lawyers… they’re just like the rest of Florida
What Weird and Wacky Wednesdays roundup would be complete without a trip to Florida?
This Florida man just so happens to be a lawyer, currently facing discipline from the Florida bar for using his lawyers’ trust account (read: client money) to pay for his personal expenses. This is awful when it happens, but certainly not exclusive to Florida. However, this one Florida lawyer did not want to be outdone by all the other lawyers who commingled with client funds.
Yes, this Florida lawyer apparently used his trust account to pay for his personal business venture on the side. This just so happened to be running a strip club. Go big or go home, I guess? Apparently the lawyer could not find a bank to take cash from a strip club or open an account for it, so he just found a shortcut.
That being said, I have to wonder if the lawyer had simply made the strip club into an independent corporation, who then retained the law firm as its lawyers, he may have eliminated a world of grief?
Still. Your trust account is not your strip club’s bank of choice.
