Musicals: Free The Manchester 1!

"A teenage juror who falsely told a court he was ill so he could sneak off to watch a West End musical with his mother will spend Christmas behind bars after his lie was exposed.
"Matthew Banks, 19, had tickets to a matinee performance of the hit show Chicago last Friday but failed to tell the court in Manchester about this when he was called for jury service.
"He sat on the jury for an assault case throughout last week but was determined not to miss his pre-Christmas treat, so on the fifth day of the trial he rang the court to say he was unwell.
"The university student then travelled to London to enjoy the musical with his 49-year-old mother, Debbie Ennis. Meanwhile, the case was adjourned.
"But Banks was rumbled even before the curtain rose at the Garrick Theatre, as a court official had telephoned his student digs to find out whether he would be fit to return to the jury after the weekend.
"His boyfriend Christian Orr answered the phone and said Banks was not there because he had ‘gone to London to see a show’..."

The Daily Mail.
Brilliant.
The tickets were a christmas present from his boyfriend, who - ironically - found he couldn't get the day off work.
Matthew was sentenced to two weeks in a young offender institution - lucky bitch.
Imagine if they started lucking up all young gay men who've been ditzy and devious!

What's noteworthy about the Mail's story is that, although it makes several references to his boyfriend, it never uses the g-word.
Pink Paper, of course, would have stated the bleedin' obvious and said that he was "openly gay."
Sad that the Mail is more progressive and less patronising here than some gay media would be.