Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks

Shaitian
Shaitian's picture
Posts: 235
Joined: 2006-07-15
User is offlineOffline
Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks

I had to laugh when i saw this. I also thought the rest of you would get a kick out of this...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24604338/?GT1=43001

HOLYHEAD, Wales - A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.

Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates' Court.

He also whacked Jones' 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said.
Story continues below ↓advertisement

The two cousins and Barney Jones' brother, Daniel, set up the Church of Jediism, Anglesey order, last year. Jedi is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the "Star Wars" films.

The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses "insight and knowledge" from the films as "a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life."

"We all love the films and what they stand for. Obviously some people are going to laugh about it," the Wales on Sunday newspaper quoted Barney Jones as saying last month. "But a lot of people do take it seriously."

Unfortunately for Hughes, his March attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle.

"Darth Vader! Jedis!" Hughes shouted as he approached.

Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.

"He knows his behavior was wrong and didn't want it to happen but he has no recollection of it," said Hughes' lawyer, Frances Jones.

District Judge Andrew Shaw sentenced Hughes to two months in jail but suspended the sentence for one year. He also ordered Hughes to pay $195 to each of his victims and $117 in court costs.

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.
 

Prejudice is often no more than a lazy person's substitute for thinking - Aunt Tomee The more we sweat for peace the less we bleed for war - Vijaya Lakshmi Pandil|


Thomathy
Superfan
Thomathy's picture
Posts: 603
Joined: 2007-08-20
User is offlineOffline
*dies*

*dies*


The Doomed Soul
The Doomed Soul's picture
Posts: 784
Joined: 2007-08-31
User is offlineOffline
... that does it... Im off

... that does it...

 

Im off to find the church of Sith


MattShizzle
Superfan
MattShizzle's picture
Posts: 6862
Joined: 2006-03-31
User is onlineOnline
A good title for this thread

A good title for this thread would have been "When Nerds Attack!"


geirj
geirj's picture
Posts: 420
Joined: 2007-06-19
User is offlineOffline
I'm not sure what's

I'm not sure what's funnier...this:

Shaitian wrote:

Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.

 

...or this:

 

Shaitian wrote:

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

Nobody I know was brainwashed into being an atheist.

Why Believe?


Tilberian
Moderator
Tilberian's picture
Posts: 1122
Joined: 2006-11-27
User is offlineOffline
I wonder if he brought his

I wonder if he brought his apprentice with him.


ronin-dog
Scientist
ronin-dog's picture
Posts: 327
Joined: 2007-10-18
User is offlineOffline
I put myself down as Jedi in

I put myself down as Jedi in the last census. I heard that you can't get in trouble for it. I'll definately put atheist next time, to increase the stats.

By the way, has anyone else noticed the resemblance between pope benedict (or p.benny) and emperor palpatine?

Zen-atheist wielding Occam's katana.

Jesus said, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." - Luke 12:51


Kevin R Brown
Superfan
Kevin R Brown's picture
Posts: 1056
Joined: 2007-06-24
User is offlineOffline
ronin-dog wrote:I put myself

ronin-dog wrote:

I put myself down as Jedi in the last census. I heard that you can't get in trouble for it. I'll definately put atheist next time, to increase the stats.

By the way, has anyone else noticed the resemblance between pope benedict (or p.benny) and emperor palpatine?

How could you not notice?

Give him blue skin, and I wouldn't be able to distinguish the Pope from Palpatine at all.

'We accepted the products of science. We rejected it's methods.'

- Carl Sagan, Cosmos


HisWillness
Moderator
HisWillness's picture
Posts: 1743
Joined: 2008-02-21
User is offlineOffline
ronin-dog wrote:I put myself

ronin-dog wrote:

I put myself down as Jedi in the last census. I heard that you can't get in trouble for it.

Who would give you trouble? Do you mean that they'd accept the answer?

Will: no gyration without funkstification.


inspectormustard
inspectormustard's picture
Posts: 456
Joined: 2006-11-21
User is offlineOffline
HisWillness wrote: ronin-dog

HisWillness wrote:

ronin-dog wrote:

I put myself down as Jedi in the last census. I heard that you can't get in trouble for it.

Who would give you trouble? Do you mean that they'd accept the answer?

 Something like that. . .

 

I can see no reason why the reasonable shouldn't be possible. -Mr.M


BenfromCanada
BenfromCanada's picture
Posts: 711
Joined: 2006-08-31
User is offlineOffline
Best story ever.

Best story ever.


BenfromCanada
BenfromCanada's picture
Posts: 711
Joined: 2006-08-31
User is offlineOffline
geirj wrote:I'm not sure

geirj wrote:

I'm not sure what's funnier...this:

Shaitian wrote:

Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.

 

...or this:

 

Shaitian wrote:

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

 

This:

 

Shaitian wrote:

The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses "insight and knowledge" from the films as "a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life."


ronin-dog
Scientist
ronin-dog's picture
Posts: 327
Joined: 2007-10-18
User is offlineOffline
I think it may be illegal to

I think it may be illegal to screw around with the census too much (I think I read something about that). But in Australia, at least, the religion question is optional, which makes you wonder why they bother, you can't get acurate stats if there is a section of society not playing. Unless they include the did-not-answer in the stats i spose.

Maybe next time I should put down "I am God, worship me or burn in hell mo' fu'er"

Zen-atheist wielding Occam's katana.

Jesus said, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." - Luke 12:51


Nordmann
Nordmann's picture
Posts: 477
Joined: 2008-04-02
User is offlineOffline
In 2001 the UK census rules

In 2001 the UK census rules regarding form completion were toughened up. Not answering a question or giving false info could lead to a fine. But the rule did not apply to question 10 on the form which asked about religion.

 

Incidentally under "religion: other" the citizen was invited to write the name of the religion in block capitals, one letter in each of the thoughtfully provided squares printed on the form. The squares were arranged in two rows of 10 each, 20 letters in all.

 

Blatant discrimination against all the flying spaghetti monster worshippers out there!

I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy


MattShizzle
Superfan
MattShizzle's picture
Posts: 6862
Joined: 2006-03-31
User is onlineOnline
Pastafarian would fit.

Pastafarian would fit.