Thought Experiment: Would picking the locks on Ha'penny Bridge be illegal?

DeVore

So there are loads of locks forming an eye sore and damaging the bridge and a group of lockpickers mooted the idea of using them for practise.

This got me wondering about the law in this regard... I guess if someone took away the lock they would be stealing but if they opened it and just left it... would that be illegal??

I'm genuinely asking out of curiosity in the law, this is a thought experiment, not advice-seeking

Grolschevik

(And while people are at it, what the hell's the story with those locks? Is it some imported "we're in love forever" nonsense?)

AwayWithFaries

If someone drops a bit of rubbish on the street and you pick it up and put it in the bin, that's not stealing in fact you'd be commended on cleaning up the country.

Same thing with the locks. I would see them as people's litter and anyone cleaning them up should be commended.

drunkmonkey

there's a bridge in Paris the exact same but it's a big wide bridge and not a landmark. I'd say pick away as there an eye sore on that particular bridge...

Love bridge Paris
www.travelswithtwo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/love-bridge-paris-notre-dame.jpeg

Gatling

Grolschevik wrote: »

(And while people are at it, what the hell's the story with those locks? Is it some imported "we're in love forever" nonsense?)

That's it exactly goes back since the bridge originally opened

Tom Young

Ex turpi causa non oritur actio.

If the Criminal Damage Act 1991 was applied to the affixing of padlocks to the bridge, then the culprits would be charged and tried summarily for criminal damage in the usual course pursuant to s.2.

The permission for professional or trainee lockpickers would ideally have to be sought from the emanation of the State with responsibility for the bridge. I suggest that this would be Dublin City Council in the circumstances.

One wonders whether or not the affixing of a lock to a bridge would pique the attention of law officers in Ireland to the extent that it probably should.

In summary, those foreigners should keep the padlocks on their chastity belts!

Tom

Grolschevik

Gatling wrote: »

That's it exactly goes back since the bridge originally opened

Really? Never noticed it before a few months back. And I mean never. I used to live beside the bridge and use it daily.

I remember seeing a news piece on American teens a couple of years back where they'd started doing something like this.

Edit: it's only started in the last few years:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056461754

http://www.google.ie/#safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=padlocks+on+the+ha%27penny+bridge&oq=padlocks&gs_l=hp.1.3.0l10.1164.3955.0.6453.8.6.0.2.2.0.236.650.4j1j1.6.0...0.0...1c.1.17.hp.geQwhaS82P8&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.48175248,d.ZGU&fp=d732f0071255d190&biw=1024&bih=614

My favourite one:

WindSock wrote: »

Ah no, don't tell me people have started doing that shite here

It's a lovely idea and all but the Ha'penny Bridge is beautiful enough without people messing it up with their padlocks and starting traditions that took off elsewhere.

DeVore

Ahhh, see that Ex Turpiderpi stuff is what I was hoping to learn about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_turpi_causa_non_oritur_actio

Very interesting Mr Bond... IF THAT IS YOUR REAL NAME!!!

hullaballoo

You may want to also consider the discussion in the following threads (from this great site I found called boards.ie with this great forum called legal discussion :pac:[noparse]):[/noparse]

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056401910;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056846877.

Edit: I'll hopefully get around to actually adding some of my own comments later on.

Marcusm

Tom Young wrote: »

Ex turpi causa non oritur actio.

If the Criminal Damage Act 1991 was applied to the affixing of padlocks to the bridge, then the culprits would be charged and tried summarily for criminal damage in the usual course pursuant to s.2.

The permission for professional or trainee lockpickers would ideally have to be sought from the emanation of the State with responsibility for the bridge. I suggest that this would be Dublin City Council in the circumstances.

One wonders whether or not the affixing of a lock to a bridge would pique the attention of law officers in Ireland to the extent that it probably should.

In summary, those foreigners should keep the padlocks on their chastity belts!

Tom

Presumably the OP might worry more about walking around with burglary tools without a reasonable excuse...

johnnyskeleton

hullaballoo wrote: »

You may want to also consider the discussion in the following threads (from this great site I found called boards.ie with this great forum called legal discussion :pac:[noparse]):[/noparse]

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056401910;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056846877.

Edit: I'll hopefully get around to actually adding some of my own comments later on.

Yeah Tom, if you want to use this site first learn the rules.

Bloody newfish.

I'd ban him if I were you.

LowKeyReturn

Marcusm wrote: »

Presumably the OP might worry more about walking around with burglary tools without a reasonable excuse...

Surely the reasonable excuse is I'm removing the locks form the Ha'penny bridge?

Marcusm

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

Surely the reasonable excuse is I'm removing the locks form the Ha'penny bridge?

Neither the bridge nor the locks are your property; forget guerrilla gardeners, you're talking guerrilla de clampers!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

hullaballoo

I reckon the OP has what he wants so get ready to see a closed account, ladies and gentlemen!

AngryHippie

what about bolt cutters or a demo saw ?

DeVore

I've always said " 'Surely' is the most expensive word in the legal lexicon"

hullaballoo

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/love-locks-to-be-removed-from-ha-penny-bridge-1.1438002

There's a fcuking conspiracy in here somewhere... Out with it!

IRLConor

hullaballoo wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/love-locks-to-be-removed-from-ha-penny-bridge-1.1438002

There's a fcuking conspiracy in here somewhere... Out with it!

DeVore is actually one of the masonic illuminati who control the media in Ireland. SNIP

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.