A sensible judge OK's Baseball bat self-defense case in UK
- Thread starter RH
- Start date
Judge Rekindles Self-Defense Debate
May 5, 2000 7:59 am EST
LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge rekindled a national debate about self-defense when he said a man who beat an intruder with a baseball bat used reasonable force, newspapers reported Friday.
The judge's ruling followed widespread condemnation of a life jail sentence imposed on British farmer Tony Martin after he shot and killed a teenage burglar.
Conservative leader William Hague had called for the legal system to be rebalanced in favor of the victims of crime.
David Summers, 21, suffered a cracked wrist, elbow, ribs and skull after he broke into Lee
Gapper's house, according to the reports. The judge said Gapper, 20, and his lodger George Goodayle, 21, used reasonable force after the break in.
"You brought that (the beating) on yourself and I have no sympathy for those who receive hurt while committing a crime," the Guardian newspaper quoted Judge Hugh Mayor as saying.
Gapper and Goodayle had been arrested, but prosecutors decided against prosecuting them,
the paper said.
May 5, 2000 7:59 am EST
LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge rekindled a national debate about self-defense when he said a man who beat an intruder with a baseball bat used reasonable force, newspapers reported Friday.
The judge's ruling followed widespread condemnation of a life jail sentence imposed on British farmer Tony Martin after he shot and killed a teenage burglar.
Conservative leader William Hague had called for the legal system to be rebalanced in favor of the victims of crime.
David Summers, 21, suffered a cracked wrist, elbow, ribs and skull after he broke into Lee
Gapper's house, according to the reports. The judge said Gapper, 20, and his lodger George Goodayle, 21, used reasonable force after the break in.
"You brought that (the beating) on yourself and I have no sympathy for those who receive hurt while committing a crime," the Guardian newspaper quoted Judge Hugh Mayor as saying.
Gapper and Goodayle had been arrested, but prosecutors decided against prosecuting them,
the paper said.
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
That's not Cricket!
HA HA HA
HA HA HA
On a hunting board there was a discussion about a fox hunter who was attacked with a baseball bat. He grabbed the bat and gave the attacker a good crack on noggin. Did that make it onto TFL? The fox hunter got off and there was a big stink. Who would believe the english were once armed Protestants? Yea, how the mighty have fallen.