SuperBee Report This Comment Date: February 14, 2013 12:33AM
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but for Rebecca Gallanagh, they've caused
nothing but trouble. Gallanagh, a 22-year-old convict, was fined by a UK court
this week for decorating her electronic ankle bracelet in fake diamonds — an
act that local magistrates described as a "serious offense."
Gallanagh had been forced to wear the bracelet after being convicted of a public
order offense in November, for her involvement in a fight outside a
Staffordshire nightclub. As part of her punishment, officials ordered her to
observe a strict 9PM curfew that the electronic monitor was meant to enforce.
Gallanagh insists that they never said anything about decorating the bracelet in
shimmery diamonds, but her aesthetic modifications didn't sit well with the
monitor's manufacturers, who took her back to court after realizing what she'd
done.
"I DID IT TO MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER."
Gallanagh says she was inspired to alter the bracelet by Big Fat Gypsy Weddings
— a Channel 4 reality show in which one of the brides "blinged" her
own electronic tag. She adds that an employee from Serco Home Affairs, the
company that manufactured the bracelet, told her that she could customize it any
way she wanted to. "I saw pictures of it online and checked the leaflet,
and nowhere did it say I couldn't decorate it.," Gallanagh told The Daily
Mail.
But Serco insisted that her alterations had "compromised the
integrity" of the device, adding that they could have an impact on its
effectiveness. The court agreed, slapping Gallanagh with a £140 ($220)
fine.
After her court appearance, Gallanagh told reporters that magistrates had blown
the issue out of proportion, and that she had no intention of evading
surveillance. "I did it to make me feel better about wearing it," she
said. "I was quite proud of it. I like to bling things up, and wear blingy
clothes and watches. It just matched my style."