Brickbats

You'll Put Someone's Eye Out

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Several boys at a London, England, school were flicking wads of paper at each other with elastic bands when one 12-year-old got hit in the eye. He suffered no permanent damage to his eye, but his parents complained to the police. The police, in turn, arrested the 12-year-old who shot him with a piece of paper, took his fingerprints and DNA and held him for four hours until his parents could make bail. They charged him with causing grievous bodily harm. The boy endured three months of legal wrangling, including three court appearances, before prosecutors dropped the charges.