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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have no sympathy for the burglar

758 replies

Mitmoo · 19/09/2011 09:10

Another burglar has been stabbed to death when he broke into a businessman's home. His wife and child were returning to the property. The details are very scant at the moment as it is early day.

But the burglars who were stabbed robbing a shop, and an edlerly shopkeeper killed one of them, he was not prosecuted. I think that's right.

It's on R5Live now being debated after another burglar was killed at the weekend.

Personally I think home burglars should take getting stabbed as a occupational hazard. I have no sympathy for them.

OP posts:
BatsUpMeNightie · 19/09/2011 19:23

It's a public board Miflaw. How anyone can slate you 'behind your back' is a complete mystery to me. Can you expand on that at all?

Piglet - I suspect that should mif find himself in that situation all the airy-fairy big huggy liberal burglar loving theory shite will be turned on it's head. I do hope he never has to go through it to find out.

scottishmummy · 19/09/2011 19:31

certainly home owner has to act quickly and decisively to protect self,family and assets. it must be terrifying to realise strangers in your home with sole purpose of burglary and malicious intent

AandK · 19/09/2011 19:36

limitedperiodonly I am single mother in the house on my own. At what point when an intruder is in my house will I have the time to think about it??? Moron!!!

JillySnooper · 19/09/2011 19:37

That phrase, malicious Intent is spot on SM.

Anyone in your home uninvited with a knife has malicious intent.

I think the apologists need to be absolutely clear about that.

MIFLAW · 19/09/2011 19:37

Bats

Once again - and it has been said a few times now - I have been threatened with a knife twice. Once in russia, once in London. And I handled myself exactly as I said - I stayed the fuck away from the blade.

You see, there IS no liberal shit here - just a refusal to be glad that a person is dead. I would absolutely defend myself if I felt my life was threatened. Possessions? not a chance. They're not worth my life, or my assailant's life. They're THINGS, you see. They can be replaced. And I can look my children in the face afterwards.

I really feel sorry for the man who killed this criminal. I bet you HE'S not wanking about on a forum like this, high-fiving himself because he stabbed a villain. i bet he's in bits. Because that's the reality of this situation. It's not about liberal politics or burglar's rights. It's about being involved in a human death and then dealing with the aftermath.

And, though the burglar was clearly a burglar, it is by no means entirely clear whether the victim was just a victim. So why don't we all wait and see before distributing the black and white hats?

PS by slating behind my back I mean saving the worst bollocks until I said I was leaving. No bottle, some people.

LineRunner · 19/09/2011 19:40

I thought that the co-assailant had been charged with aggravated burglary?

scottishmummy · 19/09/2011 19:46

unfortunate a scary minority people are dysfunctional,angry,aggressive and high on adrenalin and mind altering substances.they have malicious intent and no legitimate reason to be in someone else house. the home-owner has legitimate right to protect self and assets using proportionate force.

the home owner has gone from being legitimate business man probably never doing anything more serious than pay a parking ticket late to having to defend self in an alarming situation and man killed - i hope the home owner is adequately supported and debriefed

CheerfulYank · 19/09/2011 19:47

OTOH I could just tase a burglar...

BatsUpMeNightie · 19/09/2011 19:50

I agree SM - I feel quite sure he wouldn't have wished any of this upon himself or to appear in his CV forever - who would? He does need support and I hope he gets it.

susiedaisy · 19/09/2011 19:59

Agree with you completely scottishmummy

BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 20:02

Oh ffs, MIFLAW. No-one is high-fiving or celebrating that someone is dead. Just because a lot of us find it hard to muster any sympathy (I applaud those of you that can. It shows a special kind of compassion that I am not kind enough to find in myself) it doesn't mean that we are dancing on his grave.

I feel indifferent about his death, as I have said previously. I find it hard to be upset when strangers die at the best of times (was totally baffled by the Princess Di public outpouring, for instance) so I am going to find it even harder to feel sad for a dead burglar.

You said earlier on that you wanted someone to explain why prison wasn't the best outcome in cases like this... I don't think that anyone thinks that prison isn't the best outcome. I agree totally with a law system that uses trial and punishment. However there are two points coming into play here, one being that prison sentences, as they stand at the minute, aren't severe enough to be a deterrent against petty crimes. Look at what many of the rioters said after the event; "We'll only get a fine, it's a first offence." It's like they know that the justice system is a bit of a soft touch. Secondly, if this particular homeowner was feeling substantially at risk (I am working on the assumption that he was) he isn't going to be thinking "Fine, do what you will. I trust that the law will take care of you after you've potentially harmed me/done my house over."

Minus273 · 19/09/2011 20:07

I think it's a bit much to expect someone who is being threatened in their own home to be thinking entirely rationally through the ordeal. Yes I do think it would be an ordeal for the home owner. On reading the story, my first thought is that the home owner acted instinctively and the result was someone's death rather than the home owner acting with criminal intent.

I was once threatened with a shotgun. With hindsight, long after the adrenaline had worn off I don't really think the person would have used it and was quite possibly not capable of it. However during the incident all I could think was 'shit, I am going to die what will happen to dd'. Any logical thought on the matter came at least half an hour later and I don't think that would be particularly unreasonable. I just wan to note that I did not harm the armed robber in any way at all.

LineRunner · 19/09/2011 20:10

Apparently this particular householder was facing two assailants, at least one of whom was armed with a knife and one of whom has subsequently been charged with aggravated burglary. He possibly knew that his wife and young child were due home any second. Perhaps he suspected that the assailants knew that, too. What a nightmare.

maypole1 · 19/09/2011 20:17

I don't just dont know why can't people understand if he wasn't their he wouldn't of got stabbed he spun the wheel and lost

The moral of the story is don't steal off others otherwise you might die

Someonesnotinbed · 19/09/2011 20:18

In this thread foaming nutters and Daily Mail-reading paranoids invent attitudes which they ascribe to liberals and the PC brigade so they can profess themselves outraged by them.

fluffles · 19/09/2011 20:24

maypole - and you never feel sympathy for anybody who 'spins the wheel and loses'? why not? what does some sympathy cost? it doesn't mean you think he was right, or innocent, it just means you feel human compassion.

BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 20:33

Also getting a bit tired with the "Daily Mail readers" thing being wheeled out as an insult.

Do try harder.

pigletmania · 19/09/2011 20:37

exactly bupcakes so we all read DM if we don't feel sympathy sorry for a criminal, and we advocate our right to defend ourselves over the life of a criminal Hmm

BupcakesandCunting · 19/09/2011 20:55

Apparently so. Hmm

It's just a cheap and predictable insult to bandy about. It's also very boring. No better than actual DM readers who cry "PC nutter" at the first sign of someone disagreeing with their middle England bullshit.

maypole1 · 19/09/2011 22:03

fluffles is sure your the sought who was shedding a tear for the plight of the looters

I think people who cheer on the wrong doer and then cry foul play when they come a cropper is whats wrong in the uk

How awful someone comes in to your home welding a knife possibly to end your life, rape your wife a best rob you and you want me to feel sorry and weep for the thieving git

Animation · 19/09/2011 22:13

Don't start no shit, won't be no shit.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 19/09/2011 22:17

I think the whole thing is very very sad.

A man has been killed and I am pretty sure he had family who loved him and will miss him.

A man now has to live with the knowledge that he has killed another human being and I am pretty sure that this will haunt him. Once all the media hurrarhing has died down this poor bloke will be left with the memory of that night for ever.

Sympathy? Of course I have sympathy. He is dead. Its horrible.
What he was trying to do was vile and he deserved to be caught and punished but he is now dead because the householder was quite rightly defending his family.

A pretty crap outcome all round IMO.

landrover · 19/09/2011 22:28

At last some sense mrs devere!!!! Totally agree xx

kelly2000 · 19/09/2011 22:42

The two thieves knocked on the door, and when the victim answered they tried ot force their way in using the knife to threaten. Exactly what was the victim supposed to do, point out a good vein? he tried to stop them harming him (as they were physically fighting him to get into his home) and the armed robbers got stabbed with the weapon they had taken with them to attack the victim. What exactly did the thieves expect, thta he would just accept his place and let them attack him, let them walk into his home with a knife. These guys had every intention of attacking the victims, otherwise they would not targeted the house when they were away or at night. Instead they actually knocked at the door to ensure the victim walked right up to them, and then we are supposed to have sympathy because the plan backfired?
I am quite sure the victim would have loved to have stayed away from the blade, but as the attackers were by the exit trying to come into his home he did not have much choice. I do not agree with the laws in texas where you can just kill someone for breaking into your property (even stealing something from the shed, and even if you know you are in no danger).
So no I have no sympathy, and I do not feel sad for anyone, but the victim and his family and the family of the attacker, they must feel horrible and at the same time ashamed, which probably makes them feel guilty too. I hope this does not haunt him as the attackers are responsible for this death, no-one else. And it is likely the victim saved his wife and child from a horrendous experience. The only people who could have ensured this had a good outcome were the attackers, and they were not interested from the looks of things.

kelly2000 · 19/09/2011 22:47

minus273, if when you were being held up at gunpoint the only way to defend yourself would have been to hurt the attacker, what would you have done? Would you have not risked hurting them on the chance they were not going to hurt or kill you?

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