Couple held after burglars shot

[GT49er]

Giving a burglar a good hiding is fine, but many law abiding victims are too old, or just not physically strong enough, too dish out a good hiding. Therefore, a generous dose of buckshot is fine by me.

 

[Brighton TID]

Not ok. A reason. Do you get that?

So to clarify, a masked man (or men) breaks into your home at say 2.45am, it's dark, he is threatening you with say a baseball bat, you are scared witless. Hang on, you have a gun because you have a licence for it for whatever reason, you have a decision to make, shall I shoot this bugger or risk me and my family being clobbered with aforementioned bat.
What do you do, shoot and ask questions later, or ask him about his unfortunate background and cop a big one? We need some perspective here. Sometimes there is no time to make decisions. This is when you need the law to be on YOUR side.

 

[marshy68]

I'm not sure I could shoot anyone!!! but if someone entered my property and I thought were going to harm me or my kids - I'd do whatever it takes to try and stop them?

for some reason i really like the use of the word entered..... i think i need a lie down.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

So to clarify, a masked man (or men) breaks into your home at say 2.45am, it's dark, he is threatening you with say a baseball bat, you are scared witless. Hang on, you have a gun because you have a licence for it for whatever reason, you have a decision to make, shall I shoot this bugger or risk me and my family being clobbered win aforementioned bat.
What do you do, shoot and ask questions later, or ask him about his unfortunate background and cop a big one? We need some perspective here. Sometimes there is no time to make decisions. This is when you need the law to be on YOUR side.

I guess it would depend on the situation, but you'd hope that just drawing the gun would make them scarper without actually having to shot them.

 

[Evil Edna]

Not ok. A reason. Do you get that?

Elaborate mate. Stop coming across like a twat.

 

[marshy68]

So to clarify, a masked man (or men) breaks into your home at say 2.45am, it's dark, he is threatening you with say a baseball bat, you are scared witless. Hang on, you have a gun because you have a licence for it for whatever reason, you have a decision to make, shall I shoot this bugger or risk me and my family being clobbered win aforementioned bat.
What do you do, shoot and ask questions later, or ask him about his unfortunate background and cop a big one? We need some perspective here. Sometimes there is no time to make decisions. This is when you need the law to be on YOUR side.

the law is on there side - we dont know all the facts. They have been held by the police to try to accertain the facts. I dont agree with any burglar robbing a house. But the law needs to see what happened. Is it right that you chase a burglar out of your house and shoot him/her in the back as they run away. If they have done what you say there will be no charges under reasonable force. My understanding was Tony Martin laid in wait an shot one of them in the back in the garden... i could be wrong. Just my opinion.

 

[SeagullSongs]

There's a big difference between giving somebody a good hiding and shooting them!

Depends where you shoot them

 

[4-p]

I was under the impression that victims get done for restraining the burglar.
Chasing someone out of u'r home has to be self defense, as water is wet.
Someone please quote a law that disproves that, i can't be bothered to Google it

 

[Waynflete]

So to clarify, a masked man (or men) breaks into your home at say 2.45am, it's dark, he is threatening you with say a baseball bat, you are scared witless. Hang on, you have a gun because you have a licence for it for whatever reason, you have a decision to make, shall I shoot this bugger or risk me and my family being clobbered with aforementioned bat.
What do you do, shoot and ask questions later, or ask him about his unfortunate background and cop a big one? We need some perspective here. Sometimes there is no time to make decisions. This is when you need the law to be on YOUR side.

This argument must have been had at least eighteen times on here.

The question is what constitutes 'reasonable force' in the circumstances. What is considered reasonable will be determined by lots of things, including whether the homeowner feared for his/her life, whether they believed the intruder may be armed etc.. Whether the force they used was reasonable or not may be for a court to decide.

What is clearly not disputed, though, is that in some cases the use of force is not reasonable; e.g. shooting someone even when you know they don't pose a threat to you; torturing them to teach them a lesson etc.

If you use reasonable force, the law is on your side. If you use unreasonable force it is not, and quite right too.

 

[brightonrock]

Not being funny but there are as many cases of people being cleared for this by common sense judges:

Vincent Cooke: Homeowner cleared of murder after stabbing suspected burglar | Mail Online
Murder charge against man who killed burglar to be dropped - Telegraph
CLEARED: MAN WHO KILLED A BURGLAR | UK News | Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/815666-killing-a-burglar-was-not-murder

Regardless of the moral argument about self-defence, is it really that surprising that someone would get arrested for killing someone? Otherwise what's to stop someone murdering someone else, dragging their body into their home and then claiming they were breaking in? If they applied reasonable force and were acting in self-defence the case will be kicked out, this is just an excuse for the self-righteous to work themselves up into a tizzy and use the police as a scapegoat.

 

[BadFish]

I wonder how common this problem actually is, when innocent people are failed by the police and/or justice system

the whole system is failing, we should be looking towards a point where wealth and opportunity are spread evenly enough not to cause people to rob in the first place. At this point given that everyone has the opportunity to live a meaningful life, those that choose not to should be punished severely early to dissuade them from a life of crime.

 

[beorhthelm]

So to clarify, a masked man (or men) breaks into your home at say 2.45am, it's dark, he is threatening you with say a baseball bat, you are scared witless. Hang on, you have a gun because you have a licence for it for whatever reason, you have a decision to make, shall I shoot this bugger or risk me and my family being clobbered with aforementioned bat.
What do you do, shoot and ask questions later, or ask him about his unfortunate background and cop a big one? We need some perspective here. Sometimes there is no time to make decisions. This is when you need the law to be on YOUR side.

so you advocate summary execution of theives? well thats one point of view, but most rational people think the due process of law should be followed. shoot someone and at least you must expect the police to make some enquiries. it comes down to top trumps, and murder is beats theifing.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Clobber them with a bag and then phone for an ambulance. Family comes first.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Whoops, fat fingers. Meant bat!

 

[catfish]

I was once woken in the night by a burglar who was creeping up the stairs and shining a torch through my bedroom doorway. Much as I hate to admit it, if I'd had a gun I would have shot the fucker.

 

[BadFish]

Clobber them with a bag and then phone for an ambulance. Family comes first.

I have vision of you clobbering that nasty robber with your wifes Prada handbag!! The nasty fella deserves it too.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Whoops, fat fingers. Meant bat!

 

[drew]

I suspect that it is standard practice to arrest people where a firearm had been used. Nothing wrong with that, it will be up to the CPS to decide whether there is a case to answer. The OP seems to take the attitude that if any crime is committed against you, you have the right to take someones life. Everybody seems to be jumping the gun, so to speak, as if they have already been jailed!

 

[Willy Dangle]

Does anybody else just feel so utterly angered by this or does anyone actually have any sympathy for the burglars.
This country is really, really crap sometimes.

I would not hesitate to shoot anyone that I saw as a threat on my property.

 

[Brighton TID]

so you advocate summary execution of theives? well thats one point of view, but most rational people think the due process of law should be followed. shoot someone and at least you must expect the police to make some enquiries. it comes down to top trumps, and murder is beats theifing.

So you're standing there eye to eye with the burglar thinking that you must follow the due process of law. Mmm, me thinks that perhaps you will have more important things on your mind like, for instance, how you could protect yourself/family in the quickest most no nonsense means available to you.