Metric Violator Will Fight to Keep Pounds

The first British vendor to be prosecuted for selling his goods in pounds and ounces instead of kilos and grams has pleaded innocent--and vowed to keep bucking the metric system. The city of Sunderland, 150 miles northwest of London, is prosecuting Steven Thoburn for refusing to convert to European-approved metric measures. His legal team argues that every British vendor still has a legal right to use Imperial measures. Thousands of people have signed a petition supporting Thoburn, and several dozen backers were in the courtroom Tuesday.