Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2013 January 1-31

A patient walked away without permission from the Graylands Mental Hospital in Australia, so staff alerted the police. A few days later, cops brought a man matching the patient's description back the hospital, where he was given anti-psychotic drugs. Only after the man had an adverse reaction to the drugs did anyone figure out he wasn't the patient. The real patient returned to the hospital a few days later.

Rashad Lewis was a bit surprised to get a ticket for running a red light. He was in a New York City jail when a camera caught his Mercedes-Benz convertble running the light. It seems that someone who worked for the police department took his car for a spin while he was being detained on charges of possessing forged credit cards.

Police in Swaziland have threatened to arrest women caught wearing miniskirts or tops that expose their stomachs. Police spokeswoman Wendy Hleta said officials will begin enforcing an 1889 law banning immoral clothes if they receieve any complaints. Hleta said such clothing may encourage rape.

The Chechen government closed a newspaper just hours after its editor provoked laughter from other journalists during a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reporters laughed when Belkos Dudayeva began a question with "Thank God that Chechnya has now become a region of peace and prosperity."