Page 8 | Who pays for the window broken by snowball?

Toloveandtowork · 2022-12-16T21:30:55+00:00

Wondering if anyone can offer advice. My son, 11, and his friend, also 11, were out playing in the snow a few days ago. They threw snowballs at a neighbours window and my son's friend broke a window pane. Cost £125 for repair. The friend's mother paid for it, and knocked on my door today and asked for half the money. This was the first I heard about this incident as my son didn't tell me. I spoke to her son earlier and he said it was him that broke the window. There is ring doorbell evidence of the boys walking past and the sound of smashing glass. Should I pay? If I had plenty of money, I'd rather pay and keep the peace. However, I'm going through a very though time financially and don't even have enough for Christmas. Nothing bought yet and an unexpected £60 is not what I need now.

Freezingfreda · 18/12/2022 21:58

His not hot!

pocketvenuss · 18/12/2022 22:03

Gensola · 16/12/2022 21:58

Lol what. This is not how the law works. If one person breaks a window and his friend is beside him and does not then they are not liable for criminal damage. Do not pay.

There are a number of ways a person can be convicted for a crime in which they did not play the decisive role – or even, perhaps, any role at all. Collectively, they are known as “joint enterprise”, a principle of common law stretching back hundreds of years.
In any case this is a really terrible example to a child.

Kalasbyxor · 18/12/2022 22:14

Meh.
Definitely pay.
Pay because it shows your son you take seriously the idea of joint enterprise, and you model to him that you value your community and the integrity of your neighbour's property.
You need to show him this explicitly. Make it clear you're not just paying because his friend's mother is 'hassling' you, but because you want to do the right thing and feel it is your obligation as a caring neighbour.
If he senses that you're just paying because you're being chased down, the subtext is that you'd rather not and wouldn't pay if you could get away with it; and he's already prone to this kind of slinky thinking, judging by the fact that he didn't even tell you in the first place.
Don't hang about, and tell him you feel terrible for your poor neighbour.
I'm from a very snowy country and literally nobody would throw snowballs at someone else's house, ever.
Capital dick move.

JoyeuxNarwhal · 18/12/2022 22:33

Toloveandtowork · 17/12/2022 13:37

Why do you ask? What a strange question.

Do you think two secondary school boys out walking should be supervised?

If they're going to do stupid shit like throw stuff directly at windows then obviously yes

Clymene · 19/12/2022 09:37

Kalasbyxor · 18/12/2022 22:14

Meh.
Definitely pay.
Pay because it shows your son you take seriously the idea of joint enterprise, and you model to him that you value your community and the integrity of your neighbour's property.
You need to show him this explicitly. Make it clear you're not just paying because his friend's mother is 'hassling' you, but because you want to do the right thing and feel it is your obligation as a caring neighbour.
If he senses that you're just paying because you're being chased down, the subtext is that you'd rather not and wouldn't pay if you could get away with it; and he's already prone to this kind of slinky thinking, judging by the fact that he didn't even tell you in the first place.
Don't hang about, and tell him you feel terrible for your poor neighbour.
I'm from a very snowy country and literally nobody would throw snowballs at someone else's house, ever.
Capital dick move.

Best answer on the thread

CoffeandTiaMaria · 19/12/2022 09:44

MarshaMelrose · 17/12/2022 15:55

They're both responsible. You don't know if your sons snowball actually cracked the window so the next one shattered it. And, anyway, they were involved in a joint enterprise.

Children that have thrown rocks on cars going under bridges have been held to be equally responsible for a rock that killed the driver, despite not being the individual that actually threw it.

This ^^
It’s antisocial behaviour and I would be furious if my son had been involved.

CoffeandTiaMaria · 19/12/2022 09:44

Kalasbyxor · 18/12/2022 22:14

Meh.
Definitely pay.
Pay because it shows your son you take seriously the idea of joint enterprise, and you model to him that you value your community and the integrity of your neighbour's property.
You need to show him this explicitly. Make it clear you're not just paying because his friend's mother is 'hassling' you, but because you want to do the right thing and feel it is your obligation as a caring neighbour.
If he senses that you're just paying because you're being chased down, the subtext is that you'd rather not and wouldn't pay if you could get away with it; and he's already prone to this kind of slinky thinking, judging by the fact that he didn't even tell you in the first place.
Don't hang about, and tell him you feel terrible for your poor neighbour.
I'm from a very snowy country and literally nobody would throw snowballs at someone else's house, ever.
Capital dick move.

Very well said!

JoyBeorge · 19/12/2022 11:29

Gensola · 16/12/2022 21:58

Lol what. This is not how the law works. If one person breaks a window and his friend is beside him and does not then they are not liable for criminal damage. Do not pay.

Google joint enterprise. You can be criminalised by just being there when someone else did something.