I’ve always been a bit of a crime and justice report junkie, even without a TV. By the way, the TV was not stolen and I’m not Amish. There’s just no TV set here, OK? Some people don’t have telephones either.

Most crimes that the local news covers are robberies, break-ins, assaults and such. National crime stories involve terror plots, kidnappings or serial killers. While more gripping, relishing such stories is on the creepy side. International stories, though, are a treasure trove of entertainment. The fact that the crime didn’t occur on my continent provides an appropriate backdrop for laughter. Lots of it.

Today I turn to Brussels, where a bank robber serving a four year sentence on armed robbery set a new precedent. Certainly, armed robberies happen in the United States. But this armed robber wrote off the cost of the gun used in the crime for tax purposes and the court system ( presumably the same one that sentenced him ) upheld the deduction.

You know, I just can’t make this stuff up.

Perhaps a weekly entry that feature bizarre international crime and justice stories might be of interest? Please sound off in the comments.