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Original poster

78 pensioner arrested for fatally stabbing burglar in his own home

999 replies

SShaming · 04/04/2018 12:20

2 burglars break into a 78 year old man’s home armed with screwdriver.

Forces owner into the kitchen whilst one of them goes upstairs.

A fight ensues, leaving pensioner with injuries to his arm and burglary is fatally stabbed. Perhaps with his own screwdriver although this is TBC.

Police arrest pensioner.

On what planet is this right?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
BertrandRussell · 04/04/2018 23:45

I wish people would stop calling him a "pensioner" as if that's the most important thing about him.

Bluelady · 04/04/2018 23:48

Me too. I can only think it makes him sound more vulnerable and worthy of sympathy.

CertainlyChoco · 04/04/2018 23:50

Someone has died

Correction: a scummy low life has died. Good!

Nicknacky · 04/04/2018 23:51

already I appreciate it's probably a topic close to your heart but maybe you would be better starting a thread about your petition? You might get more of a response then.

Batmanwearspants · 04/04/2018 23:52

The kid Tony Martin killed was just that. A kid. 16 years old. But he totally ‘deserved’ to be shot in the back and left to bleed to death.

Bluelady · 04/04/2018 23:53

Fortunately the law considers all lives of equal value.

BertrandRussell · 04/04/2018 23:58

We have laws to deal with scummy low life. That is one of the indicators of a civilized society..

CertainlyChoco · 04/04/2018 23:59

16 years is an adult in the eye of the law. He should have known right and wrong. Very few would have shed tears for criminals. Sorry not sorry.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 05/04/2018 00:02

I am brilliant at what I do for a living.

I’m not a policewoman and I can’t tell then how to do their job. It’s their turn to be brilliant at it.
What I want though is to feel safe at home and on the streets and currently I don’t feel safe at all.

BertrandRussell · 05/04/2018 00:03

Martin lay in wait for him and shit him in the back.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 05/04/2018 00:04

CertainlyChoco
16 is not an adult in the eyes of the law. Otherwise why does the youth justice system cover under 18s.

Nicknacky · 05/04/2018 00:17

chardonnay I think the term you are searching for is "police officer" not policewoman. And all the brilliance in the world can't create evidence when there is none.

nancy75 · 05/04/2018 00:33

My parents were the victims of what the police called a violent home invasion, 4 armed men broke into their house knowing that people were home. Both of my parents were physically hurt but that was nothing compared to the mental trauma it caused.
Based on what I have read so far I have no sympathy at all for the man that died. I have huge sympathy for the man that has gone through this horrific experience and then no doubt had to spend the night in a police station.
It’s easy to do if it was me, quite different when you see the fall out in real life

TabbyMack · 05/04/2018 00:47

Sorry, but this is not about “sympathy”. It is completely irrelevant whether people have “sympathy” for the “scumbags” or not. Why does everyone keep trotting this out?

This is about the law. You know, those rules written into statue books that we’re all supposed to observe? The very ones that tell us not to break into people’s homes and steal their stuff?

You can’t kill people unless you have a very good reason. “He was in my house” is not one of them and it’s supremely ignorant, not to mention dangerous, for people to start suggesting it ought to be.

If this man can demonstrate that his actions were such that he didn’t behave unlawfully then he won’t be charged. What more does anyone want?

TutTutButt · 05/04/2018 00:51

police don't want to investigate burglary but you can't defend yourself if it happens to you

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 05/04/2018 00:55

Tut
What utter rubbish. People have successfully avoided prosecution for killing in self defence because you are allowed to defend yourself with force that is reasonable to the threat you perceive.

Twounder1 · 05/04/2018 00:55

Justice system is fucked up.

If it were me, I'd do the same thing.
This country's justice system protects the criminals, not the victims.
But I have two young children. If anyone comes in with any weapon. I will kill them before they get to my children.

UpstartCrow · 05/04/2018 00:59

The problem with 'reasonable force' is that its a lot easier work out what that is when you aren't in the middle of a situation.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 05/04/2018 01:00

Twounder
And if it’s genuine self defence you will have a successful defence to murder.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 05/04/2018 01:02

Upstart
It is reasonable force based on the individual’s subjective perception of the danger they are in.
So if you believe your life is in danger and you are fighting for your life almost any force would be reasonable.

Homemenu1 · 05/04/2018 01:10

Who looks like a real bruiser with his two pints of Guinness.

Nice bit of judgement from you there. You’ve seen fit to negatively judge a man on a photo.

We know nothing about the circumstances of this incident.

TabbyMack · 05/04/2018 01:23

UpstartCrow It’s not that difficult, actually. If a reasonable person would be likely to act in a similar way in the heat of the moment, then the action can be considered “reasonable”.

What’s disgusting about this thread is how many people have decided that the “justice system only cares about burglars” or “no one is allowed to defend themselves” before they’ve heard any evidence whatsoever and before anyone has even been charged.

You are all aware, right, that the “burglary” is still only alleged?

GetAwayFromHer · 05/04/2018 04:57

I haven't read the thread. It should never have been started. A person is dead. When a person is dead the police have to investigate.

YimminiYoudar · 05/04/2018 05:12

You can’t kill people unless you have a very good reason. “He was in my house” is not one of them

This.

If we had a mandatory death sentence for burglary then maybe killing a burglar would just be seen as public-spirited, saving the police and justice system time and money.

I am glad we don't have a mandatory death sentence for burglary.

It is right that the man is arrested - this gives him rights and protections too. If the evidence shows that he acted reasonably then he won't be convicted of anything.

If the evidence shows he made an unreasonable decision in the heat of the moment then he may be convicted of manslaughter.

If the evidence shows that he made a premeditated plan to harm a burglar (eg choosing to keep a butcher's knife in a hall drawer to ensure that it is easily to hand) then that could be sufficient evidence for a murder conviction.

Journalist are not best placed to establish which of these scenarios is the case.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 05/04/2018 05:43

That old line the law/police force doesn’t care about victims only criminals what utter rubbish

Of course with the likes of John Wornoys case doesn’t help but he is remaining in prison and many people would have been working to keep him there

The police and other services work so hard to manage to keep our country relatively safe under huge pressure. The police can’t just say well looks obvious what has happened here pat him on the back and thank him for getting rid of one more criminal they don’t have to deal with. Look how many officers were at the scene, how much paper work will have to be done. It seems many want to skip procedure when the crime looks obvious. We can’t have the law based on what appears to be obvious as there are many times that there is far more to what has happened

And that has to be ruled out in this case and taken from there

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