Just read this on the Sky website. http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1307738,00.html Although this looks like a really big mistake i.e. the guy had gone to the wrong house, do you think this guy should be done for murder? It seems he just flipped out as he has seen someone trying to break into his house, which to be fair would be the response of the majority of people in these kinds of situations. I'll be honest and say that if someone was trying to break into my house, that is pretty much what I would do, better you than me, or my family. What do others think about this?
It doesn't mention anywhere in the article if the guy was actually in the house, it only says he attempted to enter, which would make this quite a different story.
This all hinges on whether the drunk ugly guy was inside the old dude's home. If he was inside, then all's good and he should get off. If he was just at the door or window or something, the old guy should probably take a manslaughter stint and with a low parole set. As for what I think, I keep a knife with a 6 inch blade in my room for general usage, but if I ever heard intruders in my house it'd be what I'd reach for. If I could confirm they weren't friendlies, they'd get the steel.
Heh, I don't think confirming friendlies in the dark is that easy. As for me, I have a nice knife next to my bed at all times, and a metal baseball bat under my bed.
Think I would say something like "What the **** are you doing in my house). I actually know someone who walked into their next door neighbours house around 12am at night after a piss up, but as the people knew him, and he knew them, it was a lot different.
Well I live out in the country and our doors and windows are pretty much drunken burgler proof - but Major, it's a lot easier to confirm bad persons than you imply. For one, you can switch on a light, you can also listen to noise, assess who's in the house. True, there's probably never 100% certainty but I hear people moving about my house at night fairly regularly, opening doors etc. and I know full well they're not burglers. A smashed window at 3am though? Not gonna be the old man going for a glass of milk. No doubt the situation is never ideal, but I still keep a knife in my room (not specifically for that, but it's there) and I'd still grab it and use it if people broke into my house. Might try scaring 'em off first just to save the paperwork.
When stabbing people, people with knives seem to do one of two things. Stab the person and then be shocked and that's that. Or stab the person, and then again, and then again, and then again. Hence why you have cases not uncommonly of people who've been murdered by knives being stabbed anywhere between say 10 and 50 times. The attacker just keeps on stabbing and stabbing. Personally I think 42 times has a certain well-read murderer air to it.
You can easily get stabbed once, and your dead in a few minutes, it's quite easy. Or you can get stabbed 20 times, and survive.
^^ One Autopsy show I have seen on C4, they had a show dedicated to stab injuries, they asked the audience what would happen if a person got stabbed in 3 places (not at the same time), and suprisingly, every single injury killed someone, even if the knife isn't long.
Then you know there's no harm, just slam the door in his face and wait for the police to haul him off to the drunk tank. It comes down to how well you've assessed the situation, and whether you've made a sufficient effort to do so.
Your logic is flawed. I don't need to have an unidentified man standing in my living room before I can feel threatened.
If someone ever broke into my home i'd attempt to leave, or failing that show them where to find everything they wanted. You have insurance for a reason, to save you from risking your life protecting possessions.
thats true you can feel threatened if someone just trys to get into your home. someone tried to get into my last apartment when I was home. They tried to open the door when I was on the couch with my girlfriend. my first instinct was to get to the kitchen to get a knife and then jump them if they managed to get in. my girlfriends first instinct was to grab me and not let go... Lucky for us he must of heard us and took off running. I saw him drive away but wasn't able to get a plate number or a good look at him to bother calling the cops. anyway... there are limits as to what you are allowed to do when it comes to defending yourself. For example, if you find some drunk guy in your home, who is there by accident, because he is too far gone to know what he is doing. you cant just kill him, or beat him to an inch of his life. you aren't legally defending your self at that point. and even if someone does break in and does attack you, depending on what happens, you aren't necessarily justified in killing someone. defend yourself to the point where you cant be hurt yes, but under the law there is a limit as to what you can do. and its up to the courts to decide that.
You can feel threatened by someone standing outside of your house or even your car, but if you wind down the window, stab him once, and he dies - that's murder. He'd need to be giving you a reasonable threat such as holding a gun for you to have any reason to kill him in self defence. I can't believe someone would think a single stab wound isn't potentially fatal I won't name any names or use the damn over used quote button
There was the case of a man who killed a burglar and was done for murder (got convicted too) even though the burglar was carrying a knife at the time. The use of force to defend yourself must always be in proportion to the level of force that is threatened. i.e. if they are waving a knife at you, you can get a knife to defend yourself. If they have a machete, then a sword is okay. If they have a gun, give them everything they want, then stab them, cos they can't use the gun any more... Personally, if I found someone in my house, they are more than likely going out on a stretcher, law or no law. They are in my house and could do anything to my wife and two kids (one of whom is 3 months old). So all bets would be off. I'd rather be in jail and have them alive than free and be racked with guilt cos I didn't do anything and they were attacked. Just my opinion. Andy
I can't believe that loophole where if a burgular injures themselves while breaking in a home they can sue you Any judge that approoves or even hears those cases needs the sack. So what if someone verbally threatens to kill someone or a member of their family when they least expect it?
