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MAN BLOWS UP TOILET
A man in America has been jailed for five years for blowing up a portable toilet. Fifty-year-old Bruce Forest, of Connecticut, was originally charged with causing a series of explosions in toilets in 2005 and 2006. But as part of a plea bargain, he admitted one explosive toilet offense, in return for which the other charges were dropped. Forest's defence team, and his wife, insisted that making toilets blow up was utterly out of character for him.

Forest mostly targeted portable toilets in Weston, Connecticut, although he also occasionally diversified into non-portable toilets and toilets not in Weston. The toilet explosions were caused by a mixture of chemicals, detonated with an assault rifle, according to the prosecution. Forest's defence claimed that he had been suffering psychotic episodes as a result of a drug he was taking to wean him of an addiction to painkillers he took for a migraine. (Source: Metro, May/07)

BONDAGE COUPLE LOSE KEY
A German couple had to call out the fire brigade after tying each other up in chains, and then losing the key to the padlock. Jochen and Maria Ranstett, from the town of Weiden, dressed up in leathers and chained each other to their beds, but lost the key during the romp. After hours of trying to free themselves they finally gave up and called for help on Jochen's mobile phone. He said, "It was so embarrassing. We just wanted to try something a bit different and we ended up with this." (Source: Ananova, May/07)

CURRY EXPLODES AT 35,000 FEET
A stewardess caused £20,000 of damage on a jumbo jet when her curry exploded in a microwave at 35,000ft. The transatlantic flight from Heathrow carried on to Miami after cabin crew grabbed a fire extinguisher to douse the blazing oven. The air hostess was heating up a ready meal she bought from a supermarket when the curry exploded. BA has now banned staff from using new high-powered microwaves in club class kitchens for non-airline food on its fleet of jumbos. A memo emailed to all BA long-haul crews warns that food needs special packaging because the ovens are twice as strong as domestic ones. It's interesting to note that the cabin crew chose not to eat the airline food! The Boeing 747 needed days of repairs but British Airways insisted, "At no time was there any danger to passengers or the aircraft." So an explosion on a plane at 35,000 feet causes a fire but there was no danger to passengers? (Source: The Sun, May/07)

PLAYGROUND FOR PENSIONERS
A playground where kids are banned and only pensioners can enter has opened in Germany. The £15,000 outdoor playground in Berlin's Preussen Park has special exercise machines for the elderly plus traditional climbing frames and slides. However, some visitors have complained they found it hard to get around the playground at their age and one couple of elderly ladies reportedly got stuck after their walking frames wedged in the bark which has been used to cover the playground. (Source: Ananova, May/07)

GRAN QUIZZED OVER BIRDS' NEST
Two police officers knocked on 81-year-old Anne Mee's door in Sittingbourne, Kent, to question her about allegedly blocking access to a sparrows' nest (which, incidentally, are classed as vermin). They asked to enter and look around, saying neighbours claimed builders she hired to work on her roof may have stopped the birds getting to their nest. The police only went after Anne assured them the birds had just been collecting twigs from the roof. Kent Police said, "We did what we had to do. It is a criminal offence to intentionally harm wildlife by denying access to their nests." (Source: Ananova, May/07)

EVICTION THREAT OVER RAZOR WIRE
A family has been threatened with eviction after they put up razor wire to stop vandals breaking into their property. Judith Partridge, of West Bromwich, said she took the measure following weeks of harassment. She said intruders had destroyed plants and pots and a bench had been dumped in a pond but Sandwell Council, which owns the house, said the wire is dangerous and has to be taken down. Following a complaint from a neighbour, the council wrote to Mrs Partridge and her disabled mother, telling them the wire must come down or they will lose their home. (Source: BBC News, Apr/07)

A MAN IS PROSECUTED FOR BARKING AT A DOG
Kyle Little was prosecuted for barking at a dog. He received a £50 fine, plus £150 costs, for threatening behaviour under section five of the Public Order Act. Mr Little, of Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle, was arrested in the Chapel House area of the city after being been warned by police officers who were called to reports of a group of youths who were abusive. As he walked away, he spotted a Labrador in a garden and growled at it, causing the dog to become agitated.

Mr Little appealed at Newcastle Crown Court, where Judge Beatrice Bolton where quashed the conviction saying, "I'm sure an expert in Labradors would no doubt explain how distressed the dog was, but I don't think section five of the Public Order Act applies to dogs. I think growling or even barking at dogs does not amount to a section five offence even if a defendant has been told by the police to curb his language. Are you going to be convicted every time you do something someone else doesn't like?"

A CPS spokeswoman said, "Whilst the behaviour that preceded the arrest would have justified a charge of disorderly behaviour, the CPS accepts that the incident for which Mr Little was arrested did not. The case was proved in the absence of Mr Little at the magistrates' court but our lawyer at the Crown Court decided that there was insufficient evidence to support the charge and the CPS did not oppose the appeal at the Crown Court."

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said, "We will be looking at what has happened and if a mistake has been made, we will learn from this." (Source: The Sun, Apr/07)

OAP BECOMES PORN STAR
A 75-year-old grandad has become a porn star in Russia after wandering into a blue movie audition by mistake. David Bozdoganov wandered into the Gorodcki production company's studios after mistaking posters for new erotic actors as an advert for a muscle man show. Director Alexander Plahov said, "We were auditioning for a new film and had a number of couples on stage simulating sex when I saw an old guy standing at the back. I wandered over to ask him to leave when I saw this massive package straining against his trousers. I thought, now this could be an original idea. And I was right, all the movies we've made with David have been huge successes." The OAPs biggest hits have been The Old Neighbour and The Handyman at Work but Plahov added, "His female co-stars always complain because David believes in the beneficial power of garlic and insists on rubbing it on his erection before a scene and it's rather smelly." (Source: Ananova, Mar/06)