“L’enfer est plein de bonnes volontés et désirs….”
– St. Bernard of Clairvaux
A student borrowed a flatmates’ bike. Unfortunately she didn’t know the combination to the lock, and couldn’t ask for it as the flatmate was currently on study abroad deep in the rain forests of South America. She’d sent the flatmate an email asking for the code and was waiting for a reply. In the meantime, the student still had to get to class, so she rode the bike to campus and decided to take her chances by leaving the bike in a bikerack unlocked. (Editor’s Note: please don’t do this, it’s terribly foolish.)
Sadly this tale has an unfortunate end, but not in the way it usually does. Usually a member of the unwashed criminal underworld steals the bike, sells it to a pawn shop where it is sold to a dealer who stuffs the tires with drugs and uses it to take his cargo across the border. Or so I surmise.
This time, on the other hand, some nice person decided to try and help her out and locked up her bike for her. She showed up in our office in tears asking us to cut the cable so she could get home.
The road to hell, kittens…
Theft, constructive act of misappropriation, criminal recklessness, criminal damage (first and second parties), accessory after the fact, unlawful custody or retention of stolen goods – those are just for starters!