Don't defend yourself if you are burgled!!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Just saw this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/8328012.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ed-murder.html

I thought this should be manslaughter if not anything else.

[kalniel]

No, just don't stab someone to death. There are other ways to defend yourself that are less likely to be viewed as unreasonably aggressive actions by courts.

[matty-hodgson]

no better pictures?

[0iD]

Again it comes down to what is seen as 'reasonable', and what is not. Until the complete facts come to light then it's difficult to make a fair decision & all too easy to jump to conclusions. The CPS obviously think they have reasonable grounds, otherwise it'd be manslaughter.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

No, just don't stab someone to death. There are other ways to defend yourself that are less likely to be viewed as unreasonably aggressive actions by courts.

What if the person was just using a knife to ward them off and there was a struggle then?? Especially when you are out numbered two to one!!

The same goes if they try to attack you and you hit them with whatever is to hand. What if the attacker is injured(or worse) in that case??

If you are scared for you life then what are you meant to do then in the heat of the moment?? I am not condoning physical violence but on the other hand what right have these ruffians got to ransack your house. I get the impression that if you even touch these chaps you will end in trouble and they will get some light sentence or community service.

[matty-hodgson]

what would the likely outcome be if one of those attackers went towards the victim with a knife, but he then managed to turn the knife around and stab the attacker with his own weapon..?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

what would the likely outcome be if one of those attackers went towards the victim with a knife, but he then managed to turn the knife around and stab the attacker with his own weapon..?

The ruffian will get community service and the occupier of the home will get dragged through the courts to prove their "innocence"!

In our area some of the kids have been causing issues on and off and the police said they could do nothing about it sadly(hands tied). Of course if there was even one or two community support officers around perhaps half these problems would not be happening.

[TeePee]

Shouldn't have gone to court, but hopefully the jury will make a decision based on all the facts of the case.

[Andy3536]

Man did a great thing as far as i'm concerned, should have killed the other little p**** aswell.

Im my opinion when you break into someone elses house you should forfeit your right to any human rights.

[mmh]

no better pictures?

>snip<

If you make the decision to break into someones house... then you should relinquish any rights...

if ur the type of person to break into someones house, while they are home no less, then who knows what other crimes you are capable of... if you get stabbed, then so be it... the person doing the stabbing should not be held accountable for thier actions... this is disgusting!

[sadbuttrue]

Another reason to leave the EU.

[Saracen]

You break into someone's home to burgle it and get killed in the process, don't expect a single iota of sympathy from me.

However ..... we do not have open season on burglars, and for most householders, that's probably a good thing. If it were otherwise, anyone burgling would be doing so expecting to find themselves fighting for their lives at any moment. In many cases, they're going to be younger and quite possibly fitter and/or stronger than the householder, and they're certainly going to ready for trouble, expecting it and not shocked or surprised. And they may well go armed and ready.

So the result of "open season" on burglars would probably be a sharp increase in householders killed by burglars.

You are allowed to use "reasonable force" to defend yourself, or others, and you are allowed to use reasonable force to defend your property. But as soon as you start using force on anybody, in any circumstances, you'd better be prepared to risk being arrested and prosecuted, so you'd better be prepared to demonstrate how it was reasonable. And if you go way over the top, be prepared to face the consequences. However, by and large, you do need to go way over the top before you end up being tried for murder in this type of situation, and my first question would be to know exactly how a burglar ended up dead? That will determine if it's murder or not.

But I will say this. If I were on the jury in this case, the prosecution would have to come up with some very compelling evidence that this actually was murder, or I'd vote to acquit, and will happily admit to being substantially predisposed to do so. If this was a struggle that went bad, I'd acquit. If it was an attempt at restraint or arrest that went bad, I'd acquit. I'd have to be satisfied that the defendant deliberately and explicitly set out to kill, or to quite coldly cause very serious injury to a point where he couldn't be sure it wouldn't be fatal, and that it was absolutely unjustified.

I'm not saying that's how the law, or a judge, would see it, but it is how I see it.

That's also probably a good reason why I shouldn't be on a jury in a case like this, and that is a point I would make to the authorities too. But if I were to end up on one despite making that point, I will vote it how I see it and how I see it is that the burglar could have prevented his own death. Just don't burgle people. Like I said, no sympathy whatsoever. The poor householder, on the other hand, has no choice in getting burgled and placed in that situation - it's entirely the burglar's decision.

I don't know how I'd vote in this case if I were on the jury. Clearly, I haven't heard the evidence. But I do know it'd better be damn convincing, and certainly far more than the "ambush" theory the prosecution came up with in Tony Martin's case.

[GoNz0]

if that were me they would never find the body.

feed them to the pigs

[samcross]

if that were me they would never find the body.

feed the to the pigs

Nice Snatch reference

And whatever happened to freedom of speech 0iD

[0iD]

And whatever happened to freedom of speech 0iD

Since the term used was deemed to be offensive.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think if we flashed the picture in the signature of 0iD to any would be burglars it would momentary stun them!!