Small Bits of News

Taser shock triggers fire in man's pants
A Hamilton man Tasered by police is in hospital after the stun gun ignited a "flammable object" in his pants, burning him.
The incident is under review by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, which probes all police-related deaths and serious injuries. According to the SIU, police were called to a Queenston Road apartment in Hamilton's east end around 9 p.m. Thursday.
"Three officers went there in response to a disturbance call," said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips yesterday. "During the interaction, an officer discharged his Taser. A flammable object the man had in the waistband of his pants ignited."
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Tests to be introduced for Swiss pet owners
Dog owners in Switzerland will have to pass a test to prove they can control and care for their animal, or risk losing it, the Swiss government said yesterday.
Animal lovers will have to sit an examination and undergo a practical test under rules to be introduced in September.
Initially, owners will have two years to follow courses on animal care but by 2010 it will be necessary to pass the theory exam in order to keep any kind of dog, from a Chihuahua to an Irish wolfhound.
The move is part of a wider law on the protection of animals. Among the more unusual provisions is a requirement that guinea pigs and budgies be bought in groups of two or more, because they cannot bear solitude.
The law also requires farmers who keep more than three pigs, five horses, 10 sheep, 150 egg-laying hens and 200 chicks to take a course.
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Weight training makes you bald
Musclemen who pump iron are more likely to go bald, scientists warn. They have discovered bodybuilders’ testosterone soars after a weights session – and that turns into a toxic substance which attacks hair follicles. Boffins found testosterone levels soared an average 25 per cent after one of the sessions. They returned to normal after 30 minutes when the body converted the male hormone into a chemical called DHT. But DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, shrinks follicles and roots – so hair grows back thinner each time. It is the biggest single cause of baldness other than genes. Men who had a high-fat diet were found to be at greatest risk of the balding hormones. Women who lifted weights suffered the same side-effect.
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Blind man's wife described child porn to him
A woman who described graphic hardcore pornography to her blind husband has been given a suspended jail sentence for downloading child abuse films.
Sylvia Pearce, 59, from Ivybridge, Devon, admitted three counts of making an indecent image of a child.
Her barrister said she was just a naive woman "finding her way" on the net.
She was sentenced to eight months for each count to run concurrently, suspended for two years, and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.
'Utterly disgusting' Plymouth Crown Court heard Pearce downloaded three films, which showed scenes of children as young as eight engaging in sexual acts with adults and each other.
Prosecutors told the court the pornography was discovered when police were at Pearce's home for an unrelated matter in February 2007.
When interviewed by police, Pearce claimed she downloaded them "for a laugh" and would describe the films to her husband, who was not named in court.
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Armed alert over chainsaw Jason
A man walking the streets of a town with a running chainsaw and a mask sparked a major armed police operation.
Concerned residents dialled 999 after spotting the man walking along Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire.
Armed police arrived but found that the man, whose chainsaw had no blade, was going to a fancy dress party as horror film character Jason.
He was warned that he had to turn the saw off but allowed to continue to the party.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "He was warned about his actions and told he faced arrest or a fixed penalty notice if he did not turn the saw off.
"It looks like he was in fancy dress but it was not a funny incident for worried residents."
The film character Jason is best known from the Friday the 13th horror films.
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Con broke out of prison to freedom... for four minutes
An inmate jumped over a prison wall to freedom - for just four minutes.
Paul Wright made the briefest jailbreak in history after slipping away from prison officers while he was being escorted to a secure cell at Castle Huntly prison.
Wright ran off and jumped over the boundary wall before sprinting across a field pursued by prison staff.
Perth Sheriff Court heard yesterday that a police car arrived at the other side of the field and Wright gave himself up to the officer. The sheriff told Wright that if he had simply walked out of the front door, he would have been much harder to catch.
Wright claimed he fled after hearing his aunt had been found dead in suspicious circumstances.
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Man Says He Fondled Himself To Get Neighbor's Attention
APOPKA, Fla. -- A man from Apopka is facing charges for fondling himself in front of children in his own driveway.
Orange County deputies arrested Vincent Musco at his house on Deer Lake Circle in Apopka. Deputies said they got a tip about him and started surveillance.
Deputies said they caught Musco on camera touching himself as children played nearby.
Musco told investigators he did it, because he thought his neighbor was attracted to him.