The UK’s first landlord to be jailed for allowing smoking in his pub (and due to being unable to afford the fine), has been released after a few days.

Anna Racoon’s campaign via Old Holborn’s PayPal account raised more than enough needed to pay the remainder of Mr Hogan’s fine. £8,664.50 in cash was handed in to the Custody Officer in Forest Bank jail in Pendlebury by a masked Old Holborn.

As Anna Raccoon points out,

Nick was jailed as an example to us all, that when the State barks ‘jump’ you only question ‘how high’.

He didn’t. He said ‘Why’?

The State made him pay a high price for his temerity; they harassed him, hounded him, bankrupted him, and finally forcibly removed him from his family and friends and jailed him for six months.

His crime? No longer the original charge that he had failed to prevent two customers from smoking on his premises. No. He was actually jailed for being unable to pay the £11,600 in fines and prosecution costs resulting from that charge. He had managed to pay off £1,600, but incomprehensibly to the State, he was not able to put his hands instantly on the £10,000 balance.

The State is so used to having a bottomless pot of Taxpayers money to dip into whenever they feel the need, that they have literally lost the ability to comprehend what the recession means to ordinary people.

Leg-iron warns against non-smokers being smug:

How many of New Labour’s laws can you name? They have one with your name on it somewhere, no matter how well-behaved you think you are.

This is one way the State keeps the proles living in fear. There really is a “law” which could be used to fine any single one of us for the most unbelievably microscopic misdemeanour. Then, if you refuse to pay the fine or are unable to, they can lock you away.

This time it was Nick Hogan who was made an example of by refusing to be an anti-smoking law-enforcement officer on his own premises. Next time it could be you! For anything at all.

Hands up all those who still want a Lib/Lab/Con “government” dictated to by Brussels?