Man acquitted after fatal stabbing of burglar

I've just heard on radio news that Mr Cooke, the well-heeled Manchester householder who killed a burglar who had broken into his home, will not face charges.

It wasn't a 'nice' burglary - if such a thing exists. Two men broke into Mr Cooke's home and then dragged him up the stairs at knifepoint. His wife and twelve year old son returned to the family home while this was taking place. The court agreed that he acted in self-defence.

I find this case disturbing for a number of reasons. One is that after the incident, a group of track-suited half-wits turned up outside Mr Cooke's house, laid flowers everywhere and turned tear-stained faces to the tv cameras. Once, people might have been a little ashamed of having a violent tea leaf in the family and may well have elected to grieve quietly at home. Not any more, it seems. They seemed to see something heroic in his death; a brave soldier killed in the line of duty, perhaps.

Since Mr Cooke has now been told he will not be charged, it could be said that, from his point of view, all is now well. There was, however, a disturbing final flourish to the report: The Cooke family has been forced to move away from the area. How very depressing. Skank Britain Rules OK.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...r-cleared-after-burglar-stabbed-to-death.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...th-suspected-burglar-acting-self-defence.html

 

An Englishman's home is his Castle - unless an S.O.B. fancies getting inside.

Then the law says the Householder should take all reasonable measures to ask the visitor to leave.
In the event that the interloper resists the invitation and, as a result cracks a nail, the owner is likely to be charged with assault.

If the owner keeps his head down and doesn't interfere, he can invite the Police to pop round at their convenience and give him a Crime number.
He then can - and is sometimes partially successful - make a claim on his Insurance.

Tell me I'm wrong!!!

Oh. I forgot. If you call the Police during a Burglary, they will turn up after a while - Sirens blaring - hoping all is clear by the time they arrive to minimise paperwork. They also are not keen to get physical. They could get sued.

 

Reminds me of the stabbing of the teenager in the farmhouse years ago.The man was jailed due to the death of the teenager.He was a lone man who wanted peace in his life and these same teenagers invaded his life over and over again.He lost his home and had to move elsewhere.He was freed from jail.
Hopefully the law has learned a lesson.People who raid or steal from houses have no right to be in persons home in the first place.
Yes,a home is a persons castle.Why does a person have to be called a criminal if they are protecting themselves
BG

 

They did talk of relaxing these laws giving people more rights in protecting themselves from intruders without this stupid "unreasonable force" clause. I don't know if it will in fact be brought about but I certainly hope so. Even if the burglar isn't violent he is trespassing on someone else's property and deserves all he gets as far as I am concerned.

Val

 

It should be so clear cut; If you break in to someone elses house, car, allotment or anything then expect to be killed with no comeback.

1990 Darwin Award: Wrong Time, Wrong Place

As for the scumbags leaving flowers outside the house, I would have taken a strimmer to them.

 

What Ziggy said!!

 

If I was woken up by an intruder (or find an intruder in my home) I would not hesitate to do what's necessary to sort it out ... if you don't, the intruder will so whatever he can do, so as to avoid being jailed

I'm originally from South Africa ... this happens often now ... it's so bad there at present, that you now get a knock on the door in the evening, you open up the door to see who is there, and you are overpowered by a gang of burglars

it's sad

 

I've always been of the opinion that if 'resonable force' means an intruder in my home gets his just desserts, that's perfectly reasonable.

 

Many moons ago I caught a person searching my sheds ,he attempted to shove me aside and as he touched me I knocked him out. I dragged him off property and dumped him in the nearest ditch.
Best not to brag to the law you've just laid some bloke out.

 

God help any intruder here. Sometimes there has to be benefits for being on the short side.........your nearer the nether regions. Any intruder here would never father children again!!! Women have to be devious.:yess:

 

When my middle daughter was sent on a self-defence course, one of the first thing the instructor said was 'Hands, knees and boomps-a-daisy' - before going on to demonstrate that you grab him with your hands, bring your knee up sharply and ......

 

This has slowly and surely come into force over the past 6 years since the law change was originally announced. Obviously the courts have required relevant cases to be tried for judgments to be made but we're now at the point, since the florist who killed the armed robber not long ago, that we can legally kill someone in defence of our property.

Interesting points to note taken from guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service;

“You are not expected to make fine judgments over the level of force you use in the heat of the moment. So long as you only do what you honestly and instinctively believe is necessary in the heat of the moment, that would be the strongest evidence of you acting lawfully and in self-defence. This is still the case if you use something to hand as a weapon.”


"The more extreme the circumstances and fear felt, the more force you can lawfully use in self-defence”.

And...You do not have to be attacked to use violence on an intruder “If you have acted in reasonable self defence . . . and the intruder dies, you will still have acted lawfully.”

And just to patronise us laymen and laywomen here are The Cludeo Guidelines which were drawn up :wallbang:

THE CLUEDO GUIDELINES

Colonel Mustard awakes to find a burglar standing by his bedside — he reaches for a length of lead piping, strikes out and knocks him unconscious or kills him.
Lawful

Miss Scarlett hears noises in the night. She creeps downstairs and sees a burglar in her dining room. He has not seen her. She seizes a candlestick, hides behind the door and strikes him unconscious.
Lawful

The Rev Green is woken by the noise of a burglar making his escape. He races after him and and with the butt of his revolver knocks him unconscious to the ground.
Lawful

Mrs White disturbs a burglar in the library. She seizes a knife in the kitchen and stabs him. He falls to the ground and is rapidly becoming unconscious. Just to teach him a lesson she stabs him again.
Unlawful

Professor Plum hears on the grapevine that a man he suspects of thefts from his house is planning forced entry through the kitchen. He lies in wait to trap the burglar and then shoots him or knocks him unconscious.
Unlawful

Mrs Peacock disturbs burglars in the billiard room. They flee empty-handed. She chases after them with a shotgun and shoots one of them dead.
Unlawful

 

Sunday lunch must be a bundle of laughs in the JWK household. Male guests: don't forget your goolie protection.