Why Mickey and Minnie Mouse were due to appear in UK Crown Court

Disney favourites among a raft of cartoon characters listed after system goes awry

Disney characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Getty

Kermit the Frog, Buzz Lightyear and Tinker Bell have all been scheduled to appear in the dock as a farce unfolded across English courts.

The cartoon caper has left the good (Mickey Mouse), the bad (Captain Hook) and the beautiful (Miss Piggy) – Kermit’s accomplice – all facing the music in court.

This brush with the law, however, is likely to end without convictions for some of the world's best-loved children's characters.
The listings appeared on official court documents published on Saturday, November 21 for Bradford, Leeds and Stoke crown courts.

The usually staid courts listing service has since issued an apology for the errors blamed on a system upgrade.

But the mix-up has perhaps won HM Courts & Tribunals Service, the body that lists which cases are heard in which court, some new fans, raising a few smiles as the cold winter starts drawing in.
For them, there's always the image of Bugs Bunny breaking rocks and doing time.

Cruella Deville was on the list – but, as the notorious villain in Disney's 101 Dalmatians, she quite conceivably committed the crime.
Other famous Muppet creations – Fozzie Bear, Dr Teeth and Camilla the Chicken – were all named in the court papers, while Donald Duck, Road Runner and Sleeping Beauty were also due to appear until the court service pulled the listings.