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"Am I going down?"

Some may remember a tale I told about a barn.

This barn, after a bit of idiocy from my close friend neal. Got burnt to the ground. In brief, my friend was working in a barn. Stacking a selection of broken chip and pin machines. It was a cold day in January and so he decided to start a fire to keep warm. Using my lighter my friend recklessly started a fire on a stack of boxes and then later, upon request, in a bin, away from danger. As the situation wore on my friend moved the bin nearer to him, which I questioned, the fire flicked from the metal bin and hit a stack of boxes. To cut a long story short, the barn burnt to the ground.

1 month later he is arrested, he tells his arresting officer that it was I that started the fire. So I was arrested. I told the truth, as stated above. 4 months down the line we are both charged with Arson.

I appear in court next week.

I am, as some will known, a Cambridge university student, with a small desire to be a teacher. This offense could see my dreams dashed and my prospects ruined. I have no idea what the minimum sentence is (be it imprisonment or community service), nor do I know EXACTLY what I did wrong.

At the moment my "close friend" still insists it was I that was responsible for the fire.

Help???

Dringo wrote:

> I wasn't planning to leave the incident off, but my parents insist
> that I should.
>
> Confusing.

I'm with your parents on this one. OK your CV should be truthful but there's no section to say what your record is so I should overlook that bit otherwise any job application will end up in the bin without question.

How long does it stay on your record do you know? I think it's 10 years but I could be wrong.

Strafio wrote:

> Still, could've been worse, and the chances are you'll get a decent
> job at the end of Cambridge. Just make sure you leave this little
> incident off your CV. ;-)

I wasn't planning to leave the incident off, but my parents insist that I should.

Confusing.

Emitime wrote:
> Yeah.
>
> This way he's only £95500 down.

It wasn't just the farmer who lost money...

That'll teach them for not following health and saftey guidelines and having fire extinguishers (joke... joke).

Smedlos wrote:
> With regards to you wanting to be a teacher what are you going to do
> now? I myself work in a school and everyone has to be vetted by the
> Criminal Records Bureau and if anything shows up you can't be offered
> a job in a school.

It is never a good thing to have but it doesn't stop you getting a job. At least my teachers tell me that.

> I know it's harsh reading the chain of events but as far as I can see
> your desire to be a teacher has now been destroyed and you'll have to
> find a different career path for the time being at least.

Tempted by the publishing industry.

monkey_man wrote:
> Yaaaaaaar, insurance is crap.

I had my mountain-bike pilfered from my garden shed, which I hadnt ridden in about 2 years. But my insurance gave me cash to the current retail value for the same type of bike. :D

£10 a week! Ouch!
All for hanging around with the wrong guy in the wrong place. :-S
Still, could've been worse, and the chances are you'll get a decent job at the end of Cambridge. Just make sure you leave this little incident off your CV. ;-)

I tell ye a story. One year, twas 1993 or thereabouts, a young monkey_man took a brand new Nintendo Gameboy to Redbridge Sports Centre. But land pirates were yonder and said Gameboy was stolen from young monkey_man. Distraught be he, as tracked the thief was, but the receptionist had seen nothing and the Gameboy was gone. Many moons later the insurance cheque arrived - 30% short of the treasure requested. Yaaaaaaar, insurance is crap, knives are a much better solution.

That's what insurance is for.

Dringo wrote:
> That ends that. As soon as the news reaches the net i'll post a link
> but then this whole sorry affair can come to an end.

Jesus. All that wailing for nothing.

What an anticlimax to your "book"

Yeah.

This way he's only £95500 down.