Another Fine Mess.

So, a cat burglar who falls off a roof and breaks his leg cannot seek damages any more than can a safebreaker who blows off his fingers with dynamite.

At least you would hope this was the case. But in the topsy-turvy moral universe created by Brussels such commonsense assumptions no longer apply.

So when a drug dealer carrying a large amount of cannabis was injured in a car driven by his associate he might have counted himself lucky that no charges were brought against him.

Instead of which he busied himself demanding hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation for his injuries from the driver’s insurer. when it refused to pay up he continued his quest, eventually suing the Secretary of State for Transport and claiming a breach of EU laws.

He seems to have won this round sparking fury and disbelief in all quarters. The latest ruling is a blow to taxpayers who may ultimately have to pay out (the figure could run into millions as the drug dealer was severely injured in the original crash) and sets a dangerous precedent.

That’s another fine mess the EU has got us in to. Express.