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- @4IS IT A SET UP?
- ===============
- @1
- Well it seems that we may have to wait a little longer than we expected before
- we get to see another new episode of Red Dwarf!!!
-
- I'm gob-smacked to hear the news that Craig Charles (the actor that plays
- Lister in the "cult" series) has been arrested, charged, and appeared in a
- London court (today, the 12th of July 1994) in connection of the rape, last
- Friday, of a 38-year old woman. Another man has been charged with the same
- offence and a third man is being sought by the police to "help them with their
- enquiries."
-
- I'm further puzzled because at the preliminary hearing today (which, by
- chance, happens to be Charles' 30th birthday) Craig was refused bail. Refusal
- of bail in rape cases *usually* indicates that a court believes that the
- prisoner would be likely to "do a runner" and flee the country??
-
- Do I detect subtle shades of an O J Simpson `runner' re-run here?
-
- I can't see it myself. Charles has currently been filming the seventh series
- of Red Dwarf at Shepperton Studios, West London - a process which takes 12
- weeks. Charles is a die-hard Liverpudlian. Having to live in London for three
- months will already seem like "living abroad for a substantial period" to him.
-
- Where could the Judge, who presided today, possibly think that Charles could
- `skip' to? America?? Shurely NOT? Even Robert Llewellyn (Kryten), who *did*
- get invited over to the US of A, only managed to obtain a temporary permit!
-
- So... France? Germany? Denmark? Belgium? Spain? Any slightly Western European
- country at all?... I think not. Craig can hardly speak English so he wouldn't
- be too keen to be jumping into a thoroughly `alien' environment. Besides which
- they wouldn't have him - Red Dwarf hasn't taken off in the EC.
-
- In that case why have they refused him bail? Well the only place he can "run"
- to is Liverpool... a city where `inner-city deprivation' is rife. Racial
- hatred is high on the agenda from all sides of a multi-ethnic population.
- Rival groups of ethnic drug-dealers roam the streets touting (and using)
- machine-guns to enforce their will. It's a place where rival `organisations'
- are left unchecked (by the local police force) to control prostitution,
- gambling and vice generally...
-
- Yup, if Craig managed to do a `jump-bail' to New York he'd feel quite at home!
-
- Seriously though (and I mean it)... Craig is 30 today and the woman he is
- `supposed' to have raped is 38!!! Well I'm 39 at the moment and I still
- remember what it was like to be `roaring-towards' 30... I'm telling you that
- (at 29) I couldn't imagine fancying a woman in her near-forties, let alone
- raping her in a gang-bang situation!
-
- I suspect that Charles has been set-up... hehehe... now I think about it...
- there was the celebrated case of Errol Flynn <sp?> "In Like Flynn" in the
- forties. Flynn was, supposedly, `hung like a donkey' as Charles' is supposed
- to be... But in Flynn's case the rape victim was "under age"...
-
- Any of our American friends care to elaborate upon my recollection of
- Hollywood history?
-
- Eeee Gods, history is repeating itself!!!
-
- Steve Williams
-