The offence of wasting public money

My new found liking for lycra while running may be the start of a slippery slope, but I choose to ware clothes in public. I have yet to feel the need to strip off and run the way nature intended. I shall admit to stripping off once in the open air and going for a very quick swim while running one of the more remote parts of the Ceredigion Coast Path a few months ago. If there was any one around, I would have kept running and skipped the dip.

There are many of gods creatures on this earth that I don't want to see naked, but it does not offend me. Provided someone is not "getting the horn" by being naked I am hugely indifferent to it. For me the boundary on nakedness in public is if the person chooses to be naked for reasons of sexual gratification, then it becomes a problem.

It would appear that Stephen Gough does not get "the horn" while being naked. Indeed, with snow on the ground it is doubtful anyone would be able to see enough to be offended.

What does offend me is that I am paying for this man to be kept in prison. I am paying for his time in court and for the time for the police to rearrest him. As a society the prison place is being used for someone who has hurt no one which could be used for someone like a mugger who really has hurt an other person, so there is an opportunity cost to keeping the naked rambler in prison. Babies turn up on with world with no clothes on, while I don't wish to look at Mr Gough, he should not be in prison.

The use of contempt of court judgment is a mis-use of public money and both the CPS and the judge/sheriff should be held accountable for this misuse of public money. I have seen estimates of over 200k and that was over 6 months ago. Time for the judges in this case to wake up. I am sure they see addicts who would say anything to stay out of jail so they can get their next fix, at the expense of their next victim of a burglary or mugging. There are areas not far from the court where you can't walk through at night. The judgements are the real problem, not walking the length of the UK in socks, boots and a sun hat.