that the Man who killed a burglar he saw breaking into his house should not be jailed for 19 years

[LargeDeviation]

He saw the man breaking into his house on a video doorbell, armed himself with a knife and went with his half-brother and killed the burglar. He has been jailed for 19 years.

Yes the violence he used was very extreme, but the burglar was breaking into his home! It is unreasonable to expect a dispassionate response. People should be able to defend their home and their family from intruders, including using force which would be considered unlawful or unreasonable in other settings.

Even if he must be found guilty by law, the sentence should take the circumstances into account and it should be a slap on the wrist.

As Taggart would say, "its murrrderr".
The right decision, but the sentence is too lenient.

I can't believe 31% of people, at this moment, agree with you. Absolutely bonkers!

Pretty sure op didn't realise it was a drug thing and thought it was a regular home invasion. Nobody is going to suggest slaughtering a burglar in revenge😒

People on this thread are talking about to different things.

This specific case/vigilante killing
Vs
Actual self defence of an intruder

The poster who said ' you leave HR at the door' has got a bollocking, but if you invade somebody's house while they and their children are inside, they have every right to defend themselves, and even kill. Most people wouldn't be able to actually do so, but you won't be prosecuted for self defence. The law usually agrees. However, maybe proportionate rather than disproportionate as our op suggested.

Hardly on the OPs did is it tho? He shouldn't risk his own life to carry out justice

Killing him was OTT. He should have got hold of him, given him a good kicking, one he’d never forget, tied him up and then called the police.

I was surprised that he was acquitted of murder. The fact that he took the time to arm himself and get backup signifies a considerable degree of intent imo and I'd have thought that was sufficient to meet the threshold for murder rather than manslaughter.

I think the sentence is appropriate.

Half of them won’t have read the thread. Just the OP. As usual.

No, he deliberately armed himself and brutally attacked and murdered the man. He deserves the sentence. It was violent premeditated murder.

it’s a world away from if he’d been asleep in his bed and grabbed the nearest large object to chase the burglars off.

But if I was in my kitchen and saw someone in the living room how am I to know he's not going to rape or kill me? I don't, so if I whack him with a saucepan as far as I'm concerned it's self defence.

Obviously I don't know how I would react in real life (and I hope I never find out) but I hope I would do something if one of us was threatened.

@MrKramps

Meraas
It’s scary that people like OP could be on juries.

OP, you keep bleating on about protecting your home and family, but there was no one home. No one can reasomably say you’re protecting your family when you willingly go into a house that is being burgled with the intention of stabbing the burglar to death.

You are trying to sound tough but it’ coming off as clueless and mindlessly violent.

Pretty sure op didn't realise it was a drug thing and thought it was a regular home invasion. Nobody is going to suggest slaughtering a burglar in revenge😒

++++

I would go further and say it is scary that people like OP can vote.

I agree I am pretty sure that OP didn't read the details of the case just the headline because she didn't have time/ couldn't be bothered / had already made up her mind.

But that is exactly the wider problem we are facing with populist politics in a democratic system which relies on informed / interested voters. Rather than sound bites of "let's take back control" in Brexit or Make America Great Again with Trump.

Think 19 years is a bit harsh, although his reaction was extreme. I do think that you should be able to defend your home to a certain extent without fear of prosecution. It’s not like the police doing anything about it.

This post saves me typing out what I wanted to say.

I thought 19 years was harsh but I guess the judge knew much more about circs and temperament, previous history etc.

But that is exactly the wider problem we are facing with populist politics in a democratic system which relies on informed / interested voters. Rather than sound bites of "let's take back control" in Brexit or Make America Great Again with Trump.

It took 10 pages but I guess it was inevitable. Brexit and Trump supporters are to blame for two criminals targeting each other. 🙄

Amen.

1dayatatime I would go further and say it is scary that people like OP can vote.*

Its far more "scary" that someone is coming out with statements like this about strangers posting on an internet forum. Just imagine all the other people who are far more "scarier" than the OP being allowed to vote - people with criminal records, people with different political opinions to you, uneducated people, people on benefits, non-taxpayers, etc!

The idea that everyone will be equally well informed/educated/erudite and agree with your opinions is so unrealistic as to make the OP's actions in posting on an internet forum (from which she has presumably learned more about the topic that interested her) really quite a sensible action.

Despite what others have said... I'm inclined to agree with you OP! That burglar... If you play stupid games, you get stupid prizes! On this occasion, he chose the wrong house, and the wrong man to fuck with. I'm not sorry for him in the slightest.

How does it matter that he wasn't at home? Is burglary not burglary if there's no-one in?

Sorry but if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. If you break into someone's home, you should know that you are putting your life on the line. If there were more cases like this, burglary would barely exist. The police are pathetic at the moment, it's no wonder people are losing confidence in the legal system and choosing to dish out their own justice.

Do you have a sliding scale in mind? If someone steals my lunch from the fridge at work is anything up to GBH ok?

Its a huge difference, especially to the courts whether the property has occupants or not. For good reason.

Their own justice... you mean we should start giving out the death penalty for theft? Tax evasion? Drink driving?

You've normally gotta go pretty overboard to get in trouble for defending yourself and property and overboard he did surely go

Or burglars would come better prepared. Which seems to be what happens in areas of the world where people defend with lethal force

I'm really glad the psycho was been locked up.

Burglary is a crime, but not on the same scale as murder and I'm amazed the op needs that explained.

I'm sorry but the law already is very much on homeowners side in this case.

Were that true it would be a step in the correct direction! In this instance had the thief killed the homeowner he would probably have got a shorter sentence, his publically funded lawyer would discovered 'issues' that excused his being a thieving scrote.