http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4734350.stm
Quote:
Kurt Walker said he would challenge the swearing fine in court
A teenager is refusing to pay an £80 on-the-spot fine imposed by a police officer who overheard him swearing in a private conversation with friends.
Kurt Walker, 18, from Deal, Kent, said he would go to court rather than pay the fine handed out in a town park.
He said he received the fixed-penalty notice after he used the F-word to a group of friends he met in the park.
Kent Police said fixed penalty notices were just one tool to help them to tackle anti-social behaviour.
In my eyes I have not committed any crime whatsoever
Student Mr Walker was on his way to a youth centre where he works as a volunteer when he stopped to talk to friends.
"One of my mates said, 'What have you been up to', and I swore when I replied," he said.
"I was shocked when the female police officer gave me the fine, very shocked.
"It is not every day you swear and you get an £80 fine. It is just absurd, really."
Mr Walker is adamant he will not pay the fine and will challenge the penalty notice in court next month.
'Not normal'
"In my eyes I have not committed any crime whatsoever," he said, adding that swearing was a normal part of the language he and his friends use.
Dover District Council's anti-social behaviour unit works closely with Kent Police to tackle bad behaviour.
"Swearing and abusive behaviour certainly is not normal behaviour and I feel it should never be used in a public place," said councillor Julie Rook.
A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "The public expect us to tackle anti-social behaviour.
"If Mr Walker is not happy he can have his case decided by a court."
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Do the police not have anything better to do with their time?
If he was using it in a threatening manner against someone, then fine, but in this case surely as mind your langauge comment would have been sufficient.
Free speech it would seem is truly dead. Remember the film Demolition man, where people were issued automatic fines for swearing? It was meant to be a joke then.