Legally assault the burglar

[KidKruger]

Surprised there's been no thread on this yet.

I'm pleased to read that at last the homeowner has the right to protect his house and family rather than being afraid of / being persecuted for trying to exercise such a response. This concerns the cases where the burglar gets hurt or killed and suddenly the homeowner / tenant is the baddie.

This will in reality affect very few people because most of us would rather cower in a room with the door locked and call the police, waiting for the intruder to leave. And fair play to that, too.

But for those who have been convicted for attacking or defending against intruders, this is a welcome change to the law.

I think there's something primal about having an intruder in your 'cave', it's a pschologically difficult situation for most victims, especially when it's 0400 and you've just been awoken. Just like intimidation on the street, people shouldn't have the freedom to cause you fear for your health, life, family or possessions.

I think if you invading someone's living space with bad intentions you need to know that actually you are risking YOUR health and YOUR life, because the owner may tenderise you with his baseball bat in self defense, with consent of the courts, as no offence is now (or soon, when made law) being committed.

I doubt if I'd have the guts to face an intruder, but to those with the spunk, about bloody time they can apprehend intruders and protect as they see fit.

[Drxyster]

I agree with your sentiments,but wonder if the change in the law ,if and when it happens will be so watered down as to make any difference at all.I am given to understand that in certain states in America,if an intruder is shot or badly injured no charges whatsoever are brought against the householder. The same should apply in the UK.

[KidKruger]

I used to live in Boston, my girlfriend at the time was from Vermont and her Father had his own mountain, they had a nice pad up on that hill, her Dad had shown her and her sisters/brothers how to shoot a gun, where the gun was and seperately in the house where the ammo was. He'd told them that if they have the chance to ready the gun against an intruder that they never let the intruder closer than the length of the room they're in at the time, as soon as he tries to get closer they must aim at body and shoot. But for the ideal outcome he'd instructed them to tell the intruder to turn around and face the wall, then to approach within 6-8ft and tell intruder to turn around slowly or they'll fire, then to shoot the intruder in the face when he has turned around. My girlfriend said the reason she'd been told to do this was that in VT you could be sued by the intruder for injuries (no guarantee that you would, but there was a definite possibility) but intruders killed from the front fitted the acceptable conditions for self defense at the time.

I do wonder whether the laws will be watered down as you alluded, however I heard a quote from Cameraon saying that an old lady who picks up a knife and stabs the assailant or the Dad who attacks the intruder with a poker would not be charged, but you cannot round up your mates and go round the intruder's house and beat him up after the fact.