The girl who was let off wearing a tag … because it didn’t go well with her skirt
A TEENAGE girl persuaded a court not to electronically tag her – because it would offend her ‘feminine’ sense of fashion.
Natasha Hughes said she prefers to wear skirts, but to cover up the device – which is strapped to the her ankle – she would have to put on trousers.
And despite the prosecution suggesting she should be forced to wear a tag for breaking her curfew, the 18year- old was let off by magistrates in Worcester.
She said: ‘I didn’t want to wear a tag because they are really bulky and embarrassing.
‘ I like to wear skirts, which means people can see it and it looks stupid. I am pleased at the decision and am glad I don’t have to be tagged.’
Hughes is on bail accused of assaulting another woman, causing grievous bodily harm. The offence carries up to five years in jail.
She appeared in court on Tuesday and admitted breaching the terms of her bail curfew, which states that she must answer her front door to police whenever they call.
Magistrates heard that Hughes, of Worcester, did not answer the door at 2.35am and claimed she was asleep at the time.
The ruling over the tag was condemned yesterday by justice campaigners, and Hughes’s MP. Michael Foster, Labour member for Worcester, branded the decision ‘ridiculous’.
He said: ‘These magistrates seem to be taking the mickey. If she is that worried about her dress sense, perhaps she should stop breaking her conditions of bail.
‘Sometimes I pull my hair out about some of these decisions. I will be looking into this further.’
Prosecutor Douglas Marshall told the court that Hughes should be forced to wear a tag in future to prove she was at home when she said she was.
But David Taylor, defending, said that would interfere with her dress sense. He said: ‘ Unlike some young men who wear a tag as a badge of honour, this young woman dresses in a feminine way. She wants to wear skirts, not trousers, which would cover the tag.’ He said Hughes lived in a shared house with her bedroom at the back of the property and had not heard the doorbell.
Mr Taylor added: ‘ A tag is not perfect in any case. The technology isn’t perfect and those who administer it certainly aren’t perfect.’
Magistrates’ chairman Lynne Brown told Hughes: ‘ We don’t feel a tag is necessary.’
Paul Tonks, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said: ‘This case makes a mockery of the system. What message does that send to officers who bring these cases to court, and to victims in cases which are proven?’
Worcester court justices’ clerk John Stephenson said: ‘ The fact the girl liked to wear skirts played no part in the magistrates’ decision.’ Hughes is due to enter a plea at Worcester Crown Court on December 5 to the charge of causing grievous bodily harm.
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