OMEN
02-11-2011, 04:49 PM
A Dutch court has rejected the plea of a 'giant' prisoner, who says he's too big for his cell, to be allowed to serve his sentence at home.
The inmate, named as Angelo MacD, who is 6ft 9ins and 36st, had asked to complete his two-year sentence for fraud under house arrest, reports the BBC.
But a court in The Hague ruled that, although his prison conditions were "somewhat cramped", they were not inhumane and he must stay in jail.
MacD argued that he had trouble sleeping because he kept falling out of his bed and that he was too big to use the toilet provided in his cell.
Prison officials previously tried to relieve MacD's discomfort by adding a plank and an extra mattress to his bed, in a prison in the town of Krimpen aan de IJssel.
His lawyer, Bas Martens, said there was little point in trying to appeal against the decision because of the length of time it would take to process.
He had argued that his client's conditions of detention violated the European Convention on Human Rights, and insisted that MacD was not trying to get out of serving his time.
"It is disappointing," he said after the ruling. "We have tried all possible avenues to organise an alternative for the situation he is in at present."
While the judge ruled that MacD could not expect to have a whole cell rebuilt for him, Mr Martens took heart from a remark he made that "the facilities could be improved".
He plans to use this remark to appeal to the prison governor one more time.
Orange
The inmate, named as Angelo MacD, who is 6ft 9ins and 36st, had asked to complete his two-year sentence for fraud under house arrest, reports the BBC.
But a court in The Hague ruled that, although his prison conditions were "somewhat cramped", they were not inhumane and he must stay in jail.
MacD argued that he had trouble sleeping because he kept falling out of his bed and that he was too big to use the toilet provided in his cell.
Prison officials previously tried to relieve MacD's discomfort by adding a plank and an extra mattress to his bed, in a prison in the town of Krimpen aan de IJssel.
His lawyer, Bas Martens, said there was little point in trying to appeal against the decision because of the length of time it would take to process.
He had argued that his client's conditions of detention violated the European Convention on Human Rights, and insisted that MacD was not trying to get out of serving his time.
"It is disappointing," he said after the ruling. "We have tried all possible avenues to organise an alternative for the situation he is in at present."
While the judge ruled that MacD could not expect to have a whole cell rebuilt for him, Mr Martens took heart from a remark he made that "the facilities could be improved".
He plans to use this remark to appeal to the prison governor one more time.
Orange