Defending you property

[David Williams]

If my hazard is as low as that I guess I can lash out with impunity in future. Thanks guys.

May I suggest that if you are ever unfortunate enough to find yourself vulnerable, defenceless and outnumbered by assailants intent on doing you down, you engage them in spirited debate. They'll run a mile.

[Gavin Chipper]

The Daily Telegraph did a survey of Chief Police Officers a couple of years back, and about a third of them said that keeping a baseball bat by the side of the bed just in case of attack, would constitute premeditation if it was used and therefore be unreasonable force.

That sounds like bollocks. It's not a premeditated attack any more than learning some martial art in case someone attacks you. You could easily argue that you only intended to do the minimum necessary with the baseball bat, which startsfrom simply holding it if that's enough for the burglar to piss off.

[Rosemary Roberts]

The Daily Telegraph did a survey of Chief Police Officers a couple of years back, and about a third of them said that keeping a baseball bat by the side of the bed just in case of attack, would constitute premeditation if it was used and therefore be unreasonable force. I sincerely hope they are plain wrong and that is not the law. But it does suggest the law needs clarifying if even the police don't know it.

That probably means I shouldn't rig up tripwires on all my window ledges either.

It just occurred to me to wonder whether Munir Hussain could not have argued that at the time of the beating he was so far beyond fear and anger that he did not understand that what he was doing was wrong.

[Charlie Reams]

No doubt the Daily Mail will give equal coverage to the follow-up story.

[David Roe]

There's at least a couple of bits in Judge Judge's summing-up that don't ring true.

""The burglary was over and the burglars had gone, no one was in any further danger from them," said Judge."

50 previous convictions, but there was no future danger? The General Belgrano wasn't actually facing the British fleet when it was torpedoed, it doesn't mean it wasn't a danger.

"Reducing Tokeer's sentence, but not suspending it, he said: "He himself was not the victim of any crime. He will not have to live with the consequences of the crime.""

He turned up on the scene to rescue his sister-in-law from an armed gang. Just because it was his brother that was tied up, not him, doesn't mean he wasn't a victim of the crime. If I am murdered, my brother is also a victim.

[Ian Fitzpatrick]

No doubt the Daily Mail will give equal coverage to the follow-up story.

They have indeed Charlie, Front page and headline news, together with a picture of Tiger Woods attending a Sex Addiction clinic - I imagine he is well qualified to give classes there!