to ask your thoughts on this? Fatal shooting during burglary

[itsjustataste]

Happened near me very recently and our community seems very torn with lots of people slinging insults at both sides. Lots of people shouting about playing stupid games, win stupid prizes etc... whilst others calling the shooter a murderer.

I find it very sad that someone so young has ultimately lost their life and has got mixed up in this sort of thing.

BUT that being said, I don't have any ill feeling toward the farmer either and cannot say that I wouldn't do the same if faced with 3 people breaking into my home, especially if I had my children in the house.

The other 2 suspects arrested for aggravated burglary meaning a weapon was involved and there had been a break in at the same home the night previously too.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-68942085.amp

And Steencamp was incorrectly identified as a home invader. The problem is you don't know until it's too late.

No, Pistorius murdered her and tried to use that as an excuse. It had zero to do with this incident.

What is known about the farmer:

Local man from established dairy farming family
Respected in the community
Divorced, has a partner
Four children
Private education
College education
Churchgoer
Plays Golf

Says who?

So because the scum who arrived on someone’s property intent on robbing them, then decided he wasn’t going to be the one potentially fatally injuring someone and changed his mind, he’s a poor victim now. I think not.

I'm sure I've read it in one of the many reports I've seen, but now I can't find it. If I'm wrong then apologies.

There have been posters on here saying that they are glad the man is dead as thats "one less burglar"

Tbf if every criminal vanished overnight we'd live in a really nice world.

Yeah I think this is what everyone is (understandably) assuming, but “in the property” could mean in the barn. This is why I think it’s best to reserve judgment until the facts are know. Shotguns in the kitchen are quite a different thing to crowbars in the barn.

For the hard of understanding, this does not excuse the actions of the burglars but would inform the discussion about whether reasonable or unreasonable force was used.

Huh? I agree with you.

The victim is the farmer - whether or not it is classed as proportional defence isn't proved but it was choices of the perpetrators that led to this event.

Think about it for a minute.

If, as posters on this thread want, householders can kill intruders with impunity, this plea could be used as a defence in domestic violence murders, just as Pistorius tried. That’s what is being discussed here.

Stated in newspaper articles, and other publicly available sources available on the internet through Google.

I don’t think we know that anyone has been charged with anything at all, do we? Arrested yes, and bailed, but I can’t see any news stories about charges.

Stated in newspaper articles, and other publicly available sources available on the internet through Google.

I have read the thread it’s a small minority.

If the police really had a case for murder it’s highly unlikely he would have been bailed.

He needs a knighthood because he saved the public at the very least the stress, upset and financial mess from this one dead burglar in the future. He is has done more to help his local community than most of the local notables. Bet that’s wiped the smile off the burglars friends and families faces

Well, no. The clue is in the word 'intruder'. They're not similar incidents at all.

If, as posters on this thread want, householders can kill intruders with impunity, this plea could be used as a defence in domestic violence murders, just as Pistorius tried. That’s what is being discussed here.

If the court had believed him that he genuinely thought she was an intruder, he would have received little or no punishment. That was the whole point of the trial. So no, people can't just commit domestic abuse and claim this.

It has absolutely nothing to do with an aggravated burglary case in the UK however.

I don't care if it was a first offence. That means nothing.

Locally, a teenager raped a child. He got a light sentence because he pled guilty to the lesser offence of sexual assault...and it was his first offence.

Yes, he reoffended when he got out.

Must be true then.

If only that were so.

No, the majority think he was right to kill him.

He hasn't been charged, is no threat to anyone else, guns would have been removed, so why not bail him?

I believe the man arrested for having a weapon on him has been bailed too.

Sources scattered around, but here are some examples.

Local man from established dairy farming family
"According to another local farmer, Mr Lomas had sold his dairy herd a few years ago and ‘was looking forward to his retirement."
’‘Rob was born and bred here. His dad lived there and his granddad lived there – but it was a much bigger farm then that has got smaller over the years."
https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/03/farmer-shot-dead-burglar-house-robbed-twice-10-hours-20769382/

Respected in the community
Comments in various places. There are a number of posters on Mumsnet who live near to the farmer. Also comments on Facebook by locals.

Divorced
In most newspaper articles about the case

Partner
Farmer's son mentions partner Kate on Gofundme page

Four children
Private education
College education
Churchgoer
"Divorced dad-of-four Lomas has been described as a privately-educated churchgoer."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/27702639/farmer-arrested-murder-burglary-farmhouse-raid/

Plays Golf
Son's Facebook page and post on Gofundme has a comment from a lady who has played golf with him.

Linkedin
Kings School [presumably the local one Macclesfield], Harper Adams University

“I thought it was an intruder, your honour, not my wife”.

'Did you look in the bed you got out of to see if your wife was next to you?'

Doesn't wash as a defence as it wasn't an intruder. The difference is in the actual reality of the situation, not what you claim to have been thinking about it. If you can't see that, there's no hope for logic.

I think you’re locked into some very rigid thinking there.

And I think you're comparing apples with oranges! So whatever!