Justice or will it be a travesty?

[pickmaster Andy Lowe]

It would appear that common sense did actually happen and Andrew Woodhouse was found not guilty of GBH with intent. Haven't seen the summation but clearly the system worked here once he was in court.

Now what I would hope is the CPS reflect on the cost, the heartache and more importantly to me the message it sends out to criminals.

I would also hope the officers involved in future try to be more empathetic with the victims rather than those who created the situation in the first place. This is not the beat coppers fault, it is the whole rotten system where they have all the ability and flexibility to use common sense, taken away from them by the hand wringing PC advisors that rule the police and criminal institutions.

Very well put Jeff

It's outcomes like this that will hopefully push forward a change in the law to common sence

That poor guy had gone to bed with no intension of hurting anyone

Next thing he's on the floor over powered by two guy one hitting him with a fence post, after checking why his yard alarm had gone off

Then he's arrested and all this stress

I feel for him

The criminals should just man up

They got caught and got a kicking

End of

[Rusty Nuts]

"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools."

 Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader

Although being of a very lenient nature and not letting much bother me, and having been through five armed hold ups I try not to let the media rhetoric bother me, however I am starting to think that the law as it stands at the moment is biased towards the criminal, and the rights of the victim are secondary to the rights of the offender.

Prison seems to be the same it’s about time punishment meant that you are deterred from committing crime again, we should spend more on pensioners and the disabled, when they have a decent standard of living then we can start worrying about the prisoners standard of living. There doesn’t seem to be any real effort towards reforming prisoners and my thinking is that if you had any moral fibre in you wouldn’t commit crimes, you would stop and think before you take your actions, but most of the criminal fraternity leave out the thinking for someone else to do for them (usually well paid legal aid lawyers).

Sorry it seems like I have gone off on one, must be my age…………………..

[peterg]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-25856722

 

 

[Rhett Turner - Black Country AO]

Reminds me of a story my Dad told me about of colleague of his.

 

Came out of the pub to find a bloke half in his car trying to nick it, he slams the door on his legs breaking one, then goes and calls the police, he gets arrested and charged with GBH. The police advice at the time was to leave the bloke on the car park and not report it. 

[greenandmean]

Is it too much to hope that this is the start of criminals getting what they deserve.

[s2rrr]

The guy did get off and I usually totally agree with scumbags getting there due punishment, they received a pittance of a £75 fine. I do think that the law may state something like reasonable force/resistance etc and getting both legs broken is somewhat "unfortunate" but could have been taken as being over the top. I think he was lucky to get off when you consider the damage done but on the other hand I suggest the scumbags probably won't do it again - lesson learned but a bit of a risk.

 

I think if reasonably strenuous resistance is given and the judges support it then the deterrent should be enough as long as the scallies get the message . I have always wanted a baseball bat handy but apparently that's not cricket.

 

Bob 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

The other one that makes this slightly different, is that he chased them. The injuries happened after he caught up with them and it was only then, that the fight begun.

 

I'm not arguing the moral point of chasing after someone that's stolen your stuff and is busy carrying it away.

 

But it is a lot harder to claim self defence when you've gone after them, and placed yourself in danger. He is probably fortunate to get away with it.

 

The pathetic "punishment" handed out to the thieves is a completely separate issue, and frankly makes me despair.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Can't argue with any of that Dave.

[jeff oakley]

I sort of agree with Dave, however if someone was driving away in your Westfield and you ran after them and as they were held up in traffic you caught them, if they then jumped out and started hitting you would you fight back?

 

When the adrenelin is running we have all done stupid things, and I would try to apprehend a criminal if I could as would many others.

 

But the bigger issue is that the public do not get the support from the police they should. Burglary is seen as a minor thing and the best that usually happens is a "victim support leaflet. The devestation that those burgled feel is terrible for some. It is something that you are insured for I was told when my car was stolen. When I explained to the police station that they were not doing enough, I asked what would happen if someone had taken £10k from a bank and was driving away. "They would get the helicopter up and find it" he said. My car was worth more than that so why treat them differently especially as they knew where it was going when it was stolen?

 

It is this sort of thing that makes victims fight back as in the abscense of law and suitable court decisions peiople will take the law into their own hands.

 

Tony Martin, the farmer who shot two and killed thief, did so after repeated crys for help from the police which were ignored. So he prepared and shot the next ones who came, understandably he was found guilty, but equally understandably the public were sympathetic to his plight was huge.

 

The law should protect the innocent law abiding citizens first, there should be equal protection for us all. One case I remember, after being burgled several times an old ladies son erected security wire around her garden. Police came and told him he was wrong and to take it down. He refused showing pictures of the same wire at one of the queens residences. The man was told well" that is because she is the queen", "my mother is my queen" was his reply but he was still forced to take it down.

Unequal treatment, feelings that the system is against the majority and protects those in the wrong is why these cases will increase.

 

We deserve better and once again it is the direction of the top people that puts the beat guy's in an impossible situation.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

No argument with any of that Jeff.

[Tricky]

I don't understand how anyone can defend someone who is out to steal and potential destroy someones life.

 

Those 2 fellas went with the intention of taking something that didn't belong to them. They more than likely went in a pair cos there's safety in numbers.

They didn't care what the consequences were for the owner, because they know if they get caught it's unlikely they'll get a stretch in the nick for petty theft.

 

There's very little deterrent, I think about this now as I would be worried about court etc, but this breed isn't.

 

I know for a fact that anyone on here, that came across someone nicking off their family, car, house, wouldn't just standby and that them get away with it, so stop feeling sorry people that would have no consideration for you or your family. 

 

If any of us put ourselves in his position what would we do? Some would shout and hope they ran away, some wouldn't want the confrontation and maybe not say anything, others would give chase and when the adrenalin kicks in the consequences of your actions aren't at the front of your mind.

 

Whatever the outcome the fact is this, if there was no intention to steal then no one would have been harmed.

[XTR2Turbo]

My personal view is that the law  should have much greater support for the property owner and his subsequent 'defensive' actions following acts of trespass or forced entry.

 

The very act of trespass or forced entry effectively implying aggression and force and intent and therefore the owner automatically defending.

 

The fact they are walking away should be meaningless. They are attacking by being on your land.

 

I understand this is pretty much the case in America - hence trespassers will be shot signs !!

[alexander72]

I have tried to avoid commenting on this but as a tree surgeon who has and 4 robberies in the past 4 years - 2 this year alone, and having disturbed the thieving scum who stole my living I can sympathise with the guy who was let off.   I didn't need to chase them as I could see them from my gate ( half a mile to my barn) 

 

The police know who stole my saws (16 of them) this year, they saw him in a van at 3 AM when the alarms went off and we all drove to my yard, we disturbed the thieves and i had got my Mannlicher  .244 rifle levelled at their white 4x4 tipper….  

 

suffice to say I had a lot of issues and nothing was ever proven…. havent been robbed since but I do drive to my yard every day of every week expecting to be robbed…. its a shame but its how it is.  I got a talking to about rifle mis-use and the police didne even take fingerprints….

 

I would happily drive to the camp where they live now 8 months later but it just isn't worth the hassle.

 

JA

[Meakin]

I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff. When someone tried to pinch my lotus the police actually came round as it was classed as a burglary. The beat policeman was great when he saw the car he noticed it was spotless and there were fingerprints all over the door glass he asked when I cleaned the car and had it gone out of the garage since. My reply was that it was cleaned and put back in the garage. It was obvious that the fingerprints were mine or the scumbag.

The policeman then rang fingerprint people to come. He then got the reply not to bother and give me a crime number. He was disgusted pointing out that this was a real chance to catch them. I got the impression that they had a suspicion who it was.

Simply put the chance was lost. Scumbags got away with it. No wonder people start taking the law into their own hands if they feel the system isn't bothered.

It's time that sentencing reflected the anguish suffered by the victim. 75 quid fine just says "Oh you are naughty" they should have gone to jail. Perhaps if sentencing made sense then the deterrant would be better and innocent people would not try to take the law into their own hands.