Yes ... I was in Sydney on a show ... didn't know the roads and needed to get a smoke machine to venue quick ... realised I was driving away from where I needed to be ... so did an illegal U turn ... just in front of cop on motor bike.
Anyway got a ticket
Came back to tassie and was expecting a letter to be sent with the fine ... it never came ... one day knock knock at door ... a cop
"You are under arrest for illegal U-Turn in Sydney, I don't think I need to cuff you do I but please come with me"
I ended up in city lockup awaiting the magistrate. It was like the wild west with open cages.
Had to share cell ... cell mate had the alpha position ... on bed with back against the wall, I had to sit in chair ...
'What ya in for?'
'Ummm ... Illlegal U-Turn'
after the laughter died down he told me he was in for assault ... he left the cell 1 hour later.
Anyway I was in for the whole day, waiting for the bloody magistrate ... had lunch.
A guard came in a asked if I wanted a coffee, Yes said I but before I could tell him how i wanted it he left ... came back with milk and 3 sugars ... apparently prison issue
Had lunch ... warm meat pie with a very watery onion gravey and under cooked almost raw colliflour and brocchali (these I liked best as they very crunchy).
Others around me were a mixture some on reform (waiting for bus to take them back to prison) freshly arrested vagrant types, drunks and druggies and then the 2 idiotd who tried robbing a TAB (hose betting place) but dropped the cash outside and decided to pick it up.
We did get cigarettes from the 'screw' ... see I learned the lingo
... which he lit by us having our heads near the bars with cig outside ... the cons were really dexterous with cigs as well ... I saw then flick a cig to another oppersite him, the cig flew through 2 sets of bars with such accuracy that the other guy didn't even need to reach out to catch it
Anyway when I finally got to see the magistrate the charge was read out ... I agreed that I had done it ... I agreed to pay the fine ...
Whole day wasted and I could have saved the state for a meal if they had let me pay the bloody thing there and then.
The only curious thing was that myself and another (guy who didn't pay his taxes) had our shoes and belts removed ... every other person in there had them ... but me and tax dodger apparently were suicide risks ... go figure
