Shropshire Star

Mark Andrews – Butcher's beef about human rights, laptops in prison, and more traffic restrictions on the way

Think you're getting a raw deal at the moment? Well spare a thought for Radovan Karadzic, who is definitely not a happy bunny at the moment.

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Admittedly, he didn't seem especially cheerful 30 years ago, either, when he was known as the Butcher of Bosnia for introducing the policy of 'ethnic cleansing', and ordering 'that every able-bodied Bosnian Muslim male from Srebrenica be killed'.

The great news is that he is now gracing Britain with his presence, serving a whole-life sentence for genocide at Albany prison on the Isle of Wight. The bad news is that he is suing the UK government for a breach of his human rights, because the food isn't up to scratch, and he doesn't have a laptop computer in his cell.

Now I'm sure he only wants a laptop to watch heartwarming videos of cute puppies and kittens, or maybe use his vast wealth of experience to spread a bit of peace and harmony around the world. But really, what goes on in the mind of a man who thinks it's perfectly reasonable to wipe out 8.500 people on the basis of their ethnicity, but a breach of his human rights not to have a computer in his cell?

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Maybe if Rad is so unhappy with life in this country, we should offer him a transfer to a more hospitable host. I bet them authorities in Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan would be delighted to host the man who made it his mission to exterminate every able-bodied Muslim. And he could be a great bargaining chip when it comes to bringing peace to the Gaza strip.

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Radovan must be really gutted that his 40-year sentence, imposed in 2016, was later increased to a whole-life tariff. What with the Government's early release scheme, they would probably be thinking of letting him out soon.

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On the other hand, we should thank Karadzic for revealing to us that there are 80 UK prisons where inmates are equipped in their cells.

It this what the dripping-wet brigade mean when they talk about 'Victorian conditions'?

You don't even get luxuries like that in a five-star hotel. At this rate they'll be giving them satellite television, spa baths and room service. I shudder to think what Mr Mackay would have made of it.

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Louise Haigh, the new Transport Secretary, says she will end the 'culture war' on our roads, by giving councils more freedom to impose 20mph-hour limits, and London-style 'low traffic neighbourhoods'.

Yep, a bit like the hugely successful 30mph limit on the Wolverhampton ring road. Which not only added to journey times, but also saw a 53 per cent increase in the number of crashes since it was introduced.