Ohio Man Ordered To Hold 'I Am A Bully' Sign

Ohio Man Ordered To Hold 'I Am A Bully' Sign
A man ordered to hold a bully sign for harassing a neighbour and her disabled children is told he's a "horrid excuse for a human".

A man has spent hours sitting on a street corner with a sign declaring he is a bully as part of his sentence for harassing a neighbour and her disabled children.

Edmond Aviv, 62, says the punishment was unfair and had ruined his life.

"The judge destroyed me," Aviv said. "This isn't fair at all."

The sign read: "I Am a bully. I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those that are different from myself."

Its wording was selected by Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers.

As he displayed the sign on Sunday in South Euclid, Ohio, dozens of drivers honked their horns and some passers-by stopped to take pictures and yelled at Aviv.

One shouted. "You are a horrid excuse for a human."

The sentence stemmed from a neighbourhood dispute in which a woman said Aviv had bullied her and her disabled children for 15 years.

Sandra Prugh claimed in a letter to the court that Aviv had spat on her several times and called her an ethnic slur while she was holding her adopted black children, one of whom has cerebral palsy and the other epilepsy.

The married mother, whose husband has dementia and whose son is paralysed, also alleged Aviv had thrown dog faeces onto her son's car on one occasion, and smeared it on a wheelchair ramp.

Aviv pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour disorderly conduct charge, and the judge ordered him to display the sign for five hours.

Aviv was also sentenced to serve 15 days in jail, ordered to attend anger management classes and counselling, as well as write a letter to Ms Prugh, in which he expressed remorse for his "irrational" behaviour.

http://news.sky.com/story/1242174/ohio-man-ordered-to-hold-i-am-a-bully-sign


            

Saw this and cringed a little.

It appears to be way outside of a normal legal punishment.

Obviously we'd need to see the whole story.

Now, how did I know you'd be the one to reply to this. That is the whole story as far as I can see. American judges can pass all kinds of sentences and often do. Much better idea than sending him to jail for a year, shame the bastard!

Sassy wrote:Now, how did I know you'd be the one to reply to this.   That is the whole story as far as I can see.   American judges can pass all kinds of sentences and often do.    Much better idea than sending him to jail for a year, shame the bastard!

Thank you.

I do think the whole story is there, if the facts as alleged are true.  I mean, it's not exactly a generalized indictment.

And of course, he pleaded guilty, which is an admission of truth of sorts.  I assume there was an Attestation Hearing, where an the factual basis was established.  This wasn't an Alford plea, where the defendant pleads guilty, but maintains his factual innocence.

It appears that the Court engineered the penalty, probably something in lieu of jail time.  Anything can happen if all parties agree to it.

Original Quill wrote:I do think the whole story is there, if the facts as alleged are true.  I mean, it's not exactly a generalized indictment.

And of course, he pleaded guilty, which is an admission of truth of sorts.  I assume there was an Attestation Hearing, where an the factual basis was established.  This wasn't an Alford plea, where the defendant pleads guilty, but maintains his factual innocence.

It appears that the Court engineered the penalty, probably something in lieu of jail time.  Anything can happen if all parties agree to it.

Does that include the victim Quill?

Nems wrote:

Original Quill wrote:I do think the whole story is there, if the facts as alleged are true.  I mean, it's not exactly a generalized indictment.

And of course, he pleaded guilty, which is an admission of truth of sorts.  I assume there was an Attestation Hearing, where an the factual basis was established.  This wasn't an Alford plea, where the defendant pleads guilty, but maintains his factual innocence.

It appears that the Court engineered the penalty, probably something in lieu of jail time.  Anything can happen if all parties agree to it.

Does that include the victim Quill?

Why wouldn't the victim agree?

Seems a bit silly if you ask me....a bit like he's in school?
If we did that to a child in school then people would be in uproar.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Nems wrote:
Does that include the victim Quill?

Why wouldn't the victim agree?

I meant would the victim be asked, would they?

Nems wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Why wouldn't the victim agree?

I meant would the victim be asked, would they?

The victim is usually consulted, and it looks like it in this case. This is typical of a victim's wish-list for vindication.

But in direct answer to your question, no the victim does not have to agree. The contest in criminal matters is between the state and the defendant. A criminal offense is technically an offense against the state.

Original Quill wrote:

Nems wrote:

I meant would the victim be asked, would they?

The victim is usually consulted, and it looks like it in this case.  This is typical of a victim's wish-list for vindication.

But in direct answer to your question, no the victim does not have to agree.  The contest in criminal matters is between the state and the defendant.  A criminal offense is technically an offense against the state.

Right so it isnt Restorative Justice which is what I was getting at. In that case the victim would have to agree.

Well, in this country restitution can be a part of the plea agreement. But not always.

A plea agreement is just that...anything goes, as long as it doesn't violate another law. Parties can agree to anything they want.

Original Quill wrote:Well, in this country restitution can be a part of the plea agreement.  But not always.

A plea agreement is just that...anything goes, as long as it doesn't violate another law.  Parties can agree to anything they want.

Interesting, we are piloting some RJ at the moment and there is a programme about itjust about to start on tele

laters x