On the cusp in Paisley Sheriff Court

Our thanks to Elspeth Reid for alerting us to a sheriff's difficulties with some apparent psychobabble in a social work report for Paisley Sheriff Court, as reported by the BBC.

A background report on Robert Hynd, who had pleaded guilty to charges of assault and shoplifting, declared that he had "moved from pre-contemplation to being on the cusp of the contemplative and active stages of the change process."  Only on the cusp, though, as Mr Hynd had failed to appear to be sentenced.

A baffled Sheriff Ruth Anderson was unable to gain assistance on the significance of all this from defence agent Charlie McCusker and deferred her decision, presumably so that she could continue the contemplative stage of the sentencing process.