Ramblers Restraint At Hoogstraten Verdict

Not a hint of Schadenfreude - that's taking pleasure in other's misfortune by the way - from the Ramblers' Association at the fate of Nicholas van Hoogstraten, their old adversary and millionaire who was yesterday found guilty of manslaughter and my yet get a life sentence.

You could forgive the RA for gloating a little at Hoogstraten's verdict, he did after all aim a volley of insults at walkers calling them 'the scum of the earth' and 'the great unwashed' as well as 'the dirty mac brigade' and 'flashers', but the RA seems content with a simple statement of the facts on its web site and a summary of the state of play in their battle to re-open the path crossing his East Sussex estate.

You can bet that there was some quiet jubilation behind the scenes at RA HQ yesterday though. And if they ever do want a sly dig, Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell occasionally contributes to the site. We like this one best...

Elsewhere the national media were digging the dirt like frantic moles. The BBC tv news dragged out some excellent archive footage of van Hoog' laying into ramblers verbally in a way that made it clear why he's been sent for psychiatric assessment by the court. Meanwhile the papers have had a field day which is neaty summarised in this BBC news article. For more info on the man, see here.

So is there a lesson from all this? We reckon you've got to be mad to mess with the Ramblers, and he probably is...