Some rather intriguing legal news appeared last Friday (1 April). First, law firm Jordans revealed that, in an attempt to create a more ‘family-friendly’ atmosphere in court, the lord chief justice had issued a new practice direction introducing ‘multicoloured polka dot’ robes.

The change followed extensive research sessions in which senior judges sat with primary school children across the country ‘to get their feedback and suggestions’.

Then the BBC announced a coalition of fathers groups had launched a legal action against website Mumsnet for gender discrimination. The story asserted that fathers were protesting that the site had become too influential, with one ‘dad’ complaining: ‘Because I don’t have access to Mumsnet’s "Am I being Unreasonable?" boards, I never know if I am being reasonable or not. It puts me and other dads at a huge disadvantage.’

A human rights lawyer is also quoted: ‘This case raises fundamental issues about privacy in the internet age. One of the fathers’ complaints is that Mumsnetters are sharing information about every aspect of their private lives, from hygiene habits to genital size… Some have become phobic about going online and no longer enjoy exchanging facts about mobile phone specifications.’

Then the Gazette website featured an intriguing tale of controversial amendments to the police reform bill that would see supermarket Tesco seeking to diversify into policing – giving a new meaning to the term ‘Tesco Law’. Police officers’ overtime would be paid in Clubcard points, with the possibility of double points when an arrest led to successful prosecution.

As a Tesco spokesman was quoted as saying: ‘Our supply chain is organised along the "deliver at the last minute" principle, and is, therefore, very like the blue-light service the public gets at the moment.’

But Gazette readers were quick to cotton on. As one poster commented: ‘This Asda be a joke.’