Yes, Andrew Finch, I tend to agree, but the other problem is that the typical home owner who elects for trial will have to fork out for all the legal defence costs of a trial, (even if they’re found not guilty), whereas most of the lowlife who burgle and generally make life unpleasant for the rest of us usually have the government’s blessing in the form of generous legal aid showered over them. If legal aid was extended to all people, then I’m sure that we’d see crime drop as affordable recourse to law became more widely available to victims as well as perpetrators.

This is what the government means when it talks about “eradicating poverty” and “making a fairer society” – supporting feckless, feral repeat criminals and using “hard-working families’” money to do so.

I’m not advocating withdrawal of legal aid for the criminal elements, I’m advocating an extension of legal aid to everybody, even the middle-class, home-owning members of society who the government seems to feel should bear the brunt and expense of their failed social experiments.

If you doubt that people are fearful to elect for trial due to potential cost, just look at the surge in “penalty notice” acceptances. And, then, look at the demographic of those who accept them – you’ll find two main groups: a) The generally law abiding who cannot afford to contest the notice and pay up the fixed amount even if they’re innocent and b) The generally law-disregarding who don’t pay the fines anyway because they know that the courts won’t chase them or even punish them if they continually default on payment.

Report abuse

I think you’re indulging in tabloid scaremongering. If your dogs had bitten an intruder it would serve him right – I very much doubt if you would be prosecuted unless for example you had deliberately set them upon him, and failed to call them off once the initial purpose of restrining him etc. had taken place.

In the case of Munir Hussain, it was clear that the injuries inflicted on the burglar were well beyond what would have been necessary to restrain him or make him desist – the attack, using weapons, was clearly an act of revenge rather than restraint. ‘Reasonable force’ is what you are allowed to use.

Report abuse

Don’t you think this guy’s adrenalin would have been running a bit high. If my family had been threatened and tied up I would not be doing breathing exercises or transcendental meditation either. In that situation I think a lot of us would just go plain barmy.

Report abuse

I’m sick of all this namby pamby ‘but he’s a human being too’ rubbish. If you’ve got a warning up saying you’ve got a dog then a burglar deserves to be bitten and the dog defended for it’s loyalty to it’s master and any law that says otherwise is an ass.

Report abuse