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Frankie the Feline Felon

A real-life cat burglar has left his owner feeling less than purr-fect - by swiping dozens of cuddly toys from nearby homes.

Frankie the tom cat has got his claws into 35 teddies and soft toys in the last year.

Owner Julie Bishop believes the two-year-old feline is sneaking into her neighbours' homes.

He drags each one of his finds through the catflap before depositing them on the same spot in the living room.

All mine: Frankie the cat with his collection of stolen toys

Julie, 52, said: 'Frankie looks very pleased with himself when he comes in with these presents.

'He's been going out of the house and coming back with all these toys for pretty much as long as he's been allowed out.

'They're all soft toys for cats I think. About 15 of them are all the same leopard. He doesn't really play with them. He dumps them down and goes out looking for something else.'

In the past year alone Frankie's haul has included teddy bears, leopards and a giant squeaky beefburger.

Now Julie has plastered her home town of Swindon with posters to try and trace the rightful owners.

Look what I've found: Frankie has returned home with 15 toy leopards in the last year

In you go:The devious feline deposits his latest find inside the front door of Mrs Bishop's home

Julie, who lives with her partner Gary Witts, 47, got Frankie from a Wiltshire farm in 2006.

She said: 'I'd be interested to find out what's happening when he goes out.

'Frankie is quite independent and comes in and out of the cat flap all through the day and night.

'He's quite a friendly cat and likes to sleep on your shoulder, although he lets you know if he wants to be on his own.'

Two weeks ago Frankie stole two green witch's heads, which must have come from a recent Halloween party.

He has also swiped a range of old socks, nappy sacks, half-eaten beefburgers and chips - as well as the traditional dead mice and birds.

What a steal: Frankie shows off his haul of soft toys

Leave Her Alone, You Bastards

A young Pittsburgh woman who needs a transplant has another fight on her hands. She's being sued by the music industry for illegally downloading music from the Internet.But 19-year-old Ciara Sauro strongly denies the charge and says she and her mother are overwhelmed with medical debts."Look and see where it (the downloads) came from, and look and see that it's not me. It's not fair to do to me," said Sauro.

Sauro, who lives in Ross Township, is disabled with pancreatitis. She needs an islet cell transplant and is hospitalized weekly.

Because she didn't defend herself against a copyright lawsuit, a federal judge in Pittsburgh ruled she's a music pirate, and that could cost the Sauros almost $8,000 in fines."

I already have severe depression. I mean, it's so hard to sit there and think that I have to get in trouble for something that I didn't do. It's not fair," Sauro said.

Sauro and her mother, Lisa, are being sued for the fines because they didn't challenge a music industry lawsuit in Pittsburgh federal court.

The lawsuit accuses Ciara Sauro of illegally sharing 10 songs online with strangers through free Internet software."

You want to know the truth? I make $8.25 an hour. She can't work. This child is very sick. I mean, what am I supposed to do?" Lisa Sauro said.

The Sauros said they've lived in their home since Ciara's father moved out. They claim the Internet account in the lawsuit was opened by him at his new address."

I just want them to know that I have to go through enough stress in my life with my sickness and my family, and I don't think that they should go after people just because they want money for something that's not even fair to us," Ciara Sauro said.

Attorney James Brink told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that he's offering to represent the Sauros for free and ask a judge to reopen the case.

Brink, who has defended other similar lawsuits, said the persons being sued only have so many days to respond before a judge enters a default judgment. He also said it's common for people to be intimidated by the legal documents."

A lay person getting this -- first of all, it's 60 pages thick," he said. "It's full of legalese and jargon from the company. They see the record company suing them for thousands of dollars. They get scared."

An attorney who represents the record companies in the lawsuit against the Sauros did not return phone calls for comment Monday.

The Way It Is

American Scofflaw

For the rich and well-connected, the American criminal justice system is remarkably convenient, with a simple phone call to an influential police officer or judge usually sufficient to ensure release without any formal charges, even for those arrested under severe circumstances. But the UN warns that for poorer citizens, the situation is far more onerous.

Speaking at a news conference today in Washington DC, UN drug and crime agency in America head Christina Oguz revealed that at least half of America’s prisoners are being held without having faced a trial. Those without connections find themselves detained for an indefinite period of time awaiting a trial in a bribery-heavy system.

To make matters worse poor citizens find, even having been convicted of a crime and served their sentences, are being held past their release date for being unable to pay fines or bribe their way out.