British Authorities Hand Down Unusual Sentence To Vending Machine Thief

BURY, England -- Russell Stansfield of Oldham, a suburb of Manchester, has been banned from using coin-operated devices for five years. Stansfield, who has an lengthy history of petty thefts, was given the Criminal Behavioral Order following his latest arrest for breaking into a parking meter in nearby Bury.

According to the court order, handed down by Bury Magistrates' Court, the 38-year-old is banned from using any coin-op device, including vending machines and parking meters until February 2020. He is also barred from using payphones, unless it is for an emergency call. He can purchase a public transportation ticket through a vender, but must move away from the machine quickly.

"I think I might be the only person in the country with this bizarre restriction, maybe even the world," Stansfield told local reporters.