What are you legally allowed to do...?

[DarkStryder360]

Just watched the Ricky Gervais Show, and Karl Pilkington inspired me to do some pondering, so I was thinking about the legalities of what to do to someone, if they broke into your house, since that bloke who was done for shooting thieves in his house.

I was thinking just now, what if I saw someone trying to break into my car... what can I do. Ideally, I would want to go out and smash em' with a hammer, but I would get done? Or if someone came into my house, and they came upstairs, the closest thing to me is probably a cricket bat. If I smashed them over the head with that, I would get done surely?

Would be good to know, just in case anything ever does happen

[Philplop]

You can only use self defence.

If you went downstairs with a cricket bat you'd get done, as you produced a weapon first. You'd have to go downstairs, confront them, wait for them to produce a weapon, run upstairs and get your cricket bat, then come back and wallop them.

That's kind of the idea of those big maglite torches, you'd have a job persuading a judge that you just happened to be holding a cricket bat at 3 in the morning. With a torch you can say that you heard a noise and were investigating, then just lashed out with it when they brandished a weapon.

That's what I've been led to believe anyway.

[Gibbeth!]

I know folk that have a big maglite in the lying handy car for exactly this reason.

The legalities stink, but every now and then you here of a bit of common sense in the courts.

Edited June 19, 2010 by Gibbeth!

[PaperWeight1]

If you went downstairs with a cricket bat you'd get done, as you produced a weapon first. You'd have to go downstairs, confront them, wait for them to produce a weapon, run upstairs and get your cricket bat, then come back and wallop them.

TBF it's your word against theirs and they've just broken into your house and already comnmitted a crime, highlighting the fact they have no regard for the law.

I'm sure you could talk your way out of it and convince the jury that Mr Criminal had tried to attack you.

[scotty_82]

Id rather be judged by my peers than carried by them .

No one can say they would do this or they would do that , when adrenaline hits you hard you can do some strange things.

Very good example is the current doorman situation , i train with alot of them and when the time comes when they have to stand their ground against a group or use alot of force they will but ive heard of loads of stories of wannabe big lads with a tan, sus belly and bleached hair looking the part at the door but when the time comes to show some minerals they freeze or can be found in the toilets leaving the other doorman up the creek.

[bikemad04]

Move to america and blast them with a double barrel shotgun if they come into your house legal in some states

[Defcon5]

since that bloke who was done for shooting thieves in his house.

I was thinking just now, what if I saw someone trying to break into my car... what can I do. Ideally, I would want to go out and smash em' with a hammer, but I would get done?

The bloke who shot the burglars didnt do it to defend himself - the guy was running away and he shot him in the back IIRC.

When you read about stories like that in the papers, its generally where the victim has gone too far and has taken it upon themselves to punish the suspect themselves. Had they stopped at the point where there was no longer a threat of comission of further offences, it would be fine.

Section 24A PACE gives any person certain powers of arrest, and Section 3.1 of the Criminal Law act enables you to 'use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large'

The key point is what is reasonable - going at a 7 stone crackhead who is nicking your hubcaps with a lump hammer? No, that probably isnt.

Using that same lump hammer against a 16 stone meathead who is coming at you with a butchers knife? Yes, that probably is.

[dd23]

all depends on the judge,your solicitor any evidence and the case at hand.two lads jumped me as i was drawing money out of a cashpoint i fought back in self defence but was wearing my steelies as id just finished work,i broke one of there legs and slapped the other one about a bit.They went to the police and i ended up in court charged with assault!! luckily it was all on cctv and i have no previous so the case was thrown out.the fact that it went to court was the scary part for me and my family,these guys were known to the police for burgalry,shoplifting,assault and a list as long as my arm of other offences yet the minuite they go to the police im up in court! like scottie said,you dont know how you would react in that situation so theres no point in saying what would you do if? if i caught someone in my house i would prob make a lot of noise to get them out(im a big lad,got me sia badge and can dish it out if needs be) because the last thing you want is to be going off it like chuck norris and hurting someone so bad you end up doing time.same on the car, its a car at the end of the day and yeah people seem to take/do what they want to other people property nowadays but cracking someone over the head with a bar for nicking your stereo will prob end up bringing you a lot of grief you could do without!!

anyway how sh*t were englant last night!

[2001gti]

to be honest, i wouldnt care what the judge gave me, if anybody was in my house takin my things, the baseball bat would be round their knees.

[LiamD]

I'd love to say I'd fire up the gas soldering iron for some "midnight wiring"

In reality though I'd have to try and confront them. Who knows when the adrenaline is flowing, I'd happily take the law into my own hands though.

How much can you know about yourself, you've never been in a fight?

[JoshB&D]

well i think i may celotape my maglite to my baseball bat?

but in all seriousness if i confronted the bag head that was stealing and he attacked me,

id have no problem in taking them down, any means necessary. ( just wouldnt kill them )

[LiamD]

well i think i may celotape my maglite to my baseball bat?

but in all seriousness if i confronted the bag head that was stealing and he attacked me,

id have no problem in taking them down, any means necessary. ( just wouldnt kill them )

you say that but you don't realise what these people are like.

they might have knives, or needles, and they'll fight by any means necessary so they can escape. You gotta remember they have nothing to live for and will think nothing of leaving you for dead, while it's often the case for us normal people that you have that thought in the back of your head of "what if". If you hit that guy and hit him hard, he falls down, bangs his head and dies, you're in the ****... manslaughter style. It's that reality check that I needed to sort myself out from being an angry teenager always getting in scuffles to someone who tries to avoid fighting at all costs now.

[nfbr]

well i think i may celotape my maglite to my baseball bat?

I have a 1.5" Hole cutter if that's any good for you? Cut a 1.5" Hole about 8" Deep into your baseball bat, Drizzle in some Epoxy Rezyn, then drop in your maglight.

Easy solution

[scotty_82]

Sorry but im laughing at all the " id do this to them " posts, typing them on the net and doing them are two totally different things.

As i said before you will never know until you have to do it, its all good giving the macho talk but when someone is for example standing in front of you with a knife all reasoning goes out of the window.

[SARAHGTI]

Me and my brother both do kickboxing and we were discussing the other day whether we would actually be able to use it if someone attacked us.

I think a lot of situations you would probably be in shock and freeze, however if someone was in my house I'd like to think my super protective mummy skills would kick in and I'd kick them in!

I don't have anything to beat intruders with though, numerous times I've thought I've heard stuff, tiptoed downstairs in my knickers and a t shirt, then afterwards thought "seriously Sarah, what the f*ck were you going to do if someone was in your house, flash at them?!?!"

[scotty_82]

Me and my brother both do kickboxing and we were discussing the other day whether we would actually be able to use it if someone attacked us.

If you do something often enough it becomes the norm, ill put money on it if someone aims a hand towards your face you parry and punch back, recently i as defusing a situation and someone turned on me, he raised his hand as if he was going to hit me and the next thing i knew i had right hooked him and dropped him with a broken and split nose.

As i said earlier id rather be judged after id done something than think after "sh*t i wish i had done something" and be sitting nursing some injuries.

[dd23]

you say that but you don't realise what these people are like.

they might have knives, or needles, and they'll fight by any means necessary so they can escape. You gotta remember they have nothing to live for and will think nothing of leaving you for dead, while it's often the case for us normal people that you have that thought in the back of your head of "what if". If you hit that guy and hit him hard, he falls down, bangs his head and dies, you're in the ****... manslaughter style. It's that reality check that I needed to sort myself out from being an angry teenager always getting in scuffles to someone who tries to avoid fighting at all costs now.

my point exactly,studied lau gar for 17 years,used it twice in confrontations,both had police involved,one ended up in court,so what do i do next time? whup some ass and go to prison?id rather walk away!

[LiamD]

Sorry but im laughing at all the " id do this to them " posts, typing them on the net and doing them are two totally different things.

You forget everyone on the internet is 'ard as ****.

[scotty_82]

Lol liam I forgot about that

[marcusgrant]

I'd probably just s**t myself and wouldnt know what to do! might get my pen knife out though, POW!

[nfbr]

Do what that polish guy in scotland did when the police broke into his house... Get you're knob out, wave it around and thrust it in the face of the nearest woman.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8570398.stm

[PaperWeight1]

Do what that polish guy in scotland did when the police broke into his house... Get you're knob out, wave it around and thrust it in the face of the nearest woman.

I would try it but I'd be worried that I'd not be able to find my knob in time. It's only little

[nfbr]

LOL! I thought everyone on the internet had a 12 incher?

[LiamD]

Lol liam I forgot about that

LOL! I thought everyone on the internet had a 12 incher?

I wish people would see me for who I am and not my 12" penis.

[2001gti]

I was stayin at my ex's house about 5yrs ago now, and you no wen u think you hear somthing?? and you think naarrr thats nothing. . . well there was non of that! in this case, it was the sound of a bottle of vodka fallin over hittin another bottle 'in a closed drinks cabinet'. so me and my bat went downstairs, at this point i was already nursing some **** stained boxers. i went into the front room turned the light on and noticed the f***ing cat in the cabinet! the sense of releif was like nothin id ever felt before lol. The bat still went to use tho 'on the cat'