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April 16, 2000

    BUT HE REALLY DID LOVE ME: During the course of a murder trial in Vancouver five years ago, Gillian Guess, a juror, was having a steamy sexual affair with Peter Gill, one of the defendants who was free on bail at the time. Gill was ultimately acquitted of the murder charge, and when news of the hanky-panky came out, it caused a sensation in Canada.
    As a result, Gillian was convicted of obstruction of justice.
    Last week, she was back in court to appeal her conviction, and she revealed the juicy details. The two met in a Vancouver park after the trial had begun, started necking, and, in a one-thing-led-to-another type of thing, decided to have sex just once to ``get it out of our systems.''
    But the affair lasted until after he was found not guilty. Then, they went their separate ways.

    HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM BANANAS? A woman being tailgated on the city streets of Kenosha, Wis., tapped her brakes to get the offending driver to back off. This only enraged him.
    He pulled alongside her when she stopped for traffic, hit her windshield with a half-eaten banana and sped off.

    WORK-RELEASE PROGRAM: Guards at the Caseros jail in Buenos Aires have been letting prisoners out at night, allowing them to go on robbery  sprees in exchange for a percentage of the loot.
    The scheme came to light when three prisoners were captured after they held up a restaurant, and records indicated that they were already doing time. Authorities have launched an investigation.

    SCARED YOU THOUGH, DIDN'T I? Acquitted of a murder charge by a Fort Worth, Tex., jury, defendant Robert Washington was so elated that he started whooping with joy as he went into a victory dance right there in  the courtroom. His mother joined in by jumping up and down, high-fiving
 those around her.
    The judge, who had warned against any outbursts before the verdict was read, ordered Washington locked up for six months, and his mother for 30 days for contempt of court. But his honor relented and let them go the next day when they apologized.

    GENTLEMEN! GENTLEMEN, PLEASE! Liberian Information Minister Joe Mulbah got into a heated discussion with his deputy, J. Milton Teahjay, who had suspended a government official without authorization while Mulbah was out of the country. Actually, it wasn't so much a discussion but a fistfight during which they caused considerable damage to the ministry office.
    As a result, President Charles Taylor gave both men some time off without pay to cool down.

    OTHER THAN THAT, A LOVELY CEREMONY: Love was not Federico Cavallini's motivation when he went to the church in Verona to marry his Albanian bride-to-be. He had been paid about $1,500 to wed the woman so she would be granted Italian citizenship.
    But, just as they were about to say their I-dos, the cops charged in  and arrested him. She was thrown out of the country.

Mike Pingree writes another Looking Glass column in the Boston Sunday Herald. You can read it at bostonherald.com.

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