US judge orders woman to walk 48 km for not paying taxi fare

Washington

An American judge known for doling out unusual punishments to minor criminals has ordered a woman to walk over 48 kilometres - the same distance of the taxi fare she had ditched.

 Judge Michael A Cicconetti gave the bizarre punishment to Victoria Bascom in a judgement on 29 May at an Ohio court.

 Prosecutors said that Bascom called a taxi to take her from Cleveland to Painesville, having been out at a bar with friends.

 She told the judge that she got out of the cab with another woman once they reached their destination. She said that the other two passengers said that they would pay for the taxi - but when they couldn't, the taxi driver came to her door, with the police arriving shortly after.The judge said it was her responsibility to make sure the taxi driver was paid the full amount.

In court, the judge gave her a choice - either spend 60 days in Lake County jail, or walk the distance of the taxi journey she bailed on, within 48 hours.

The judge said he would use a GPS device to monitor Bascom's movements, to make sure that she walked the full 30 miles (48.2 km).He said that she should make up the distance by walking around the perimeter of the Lake County Fairgrounds, which would mean she would have to complete 40 laps to fulfill the terms of the punishment. She began walking yesterday afternoon.

She was also sentenced to four months probation, and ordered to pay $100 to the taxi company concerned.