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From The Times
May 6, 2006

Man arrested over 4p cable ties

A software engineer was arrested, fingerprinted and forced to give a DNA sample, and kept in a police cell for five hours after being accused of criminal damage valued at four pence.

Geoffrey Hibbert, of Farnborough, Hampshire, was detained for cutting four plastic cable ties to remove a sign that he claims was put on his property without his permission. He said that the arrest was a “complete waste of taxpayers’ money”.

The large yellow sign, giving warning that cars parked illegally would be clamped, was attached by Tango Security, a clamping company, to a road sign that in front of Mr Hibbert’s garden wall. Mr Hibbert cut it down, then rang Tango Security, telling it to collect its sign and six new cable ties, which he was offering in replacement for the severed ones.

Tango Security reported Mr Hibbert to the police. He refused to accept a caution and the matter was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, which threw out the case.

A police spokesman said that the incident related to a dispute over land ownership. Tango Security said that it would pursue the matter

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