'Expect to be shot if you burgle gun owners', judge warns criminals

[ZeSpectre]

From Jolly Old England no less....


"'Expect to be shot if you burgle gun owners', judge warns criminals"

Joshua O’Gorman and Daniel Mansell were blasted with a legally-held shotgun after they smashed their way into the isolated rural home of a businessman, Andy Ferrie, and his wife Tracey last month.

The two men, who have a string of convictions between them, were arrested when they arrived at hospital seeking treatment for their injuries. Mr and Mrs Ferrie were also arrested and questioned for more than 40 hours on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. They were later released without charge.

O’Gorman and Mansell appeared at Leicester Crown Court where they were both jailed for four years after admitting burglary.

In a move welcomed by justice campaigners, Judge Michael Pert QC, told the pair they could not expect any leniency simply because they had been wounded in the incident.

He told them: “If you burgle a house in the country where the householder owns a legally-held shotgun, that is the chance you take. You cannot come to court and ask for a lighter sentence because of it.”

See this link for full article

 

[gfanikf]

Makes sense to me!

 

[allaroundhunter]

Makes sense to me!

Yes it does! And that is the great part. If more things that "make sense" were understood by more people, this would be an even better country.

 

[Grassman]

I'm surprised the home owner wasn't brought up on charges in that UK

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I'm shocked. SHOCKED I tell you ... to see common sense being exercised in England regarding anything firearms and self defense.

Woody

 

[r1derbike]

Apparently, they didn't cause enough grievous bodily harm to the thugs!

 

[Flopsweat]

I'm surprised the home owner wasn't brought up on charges in that UK

Sounds like someone tried their best:

Mr and Mrs Ferrie were also arrested and questioned for more than 40 hours on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. They were later released without charge.

 

[gfanikf]

Sounds like someone tried their best:

I've been told that arrest in the UK is different in terms of records and effects on employment and other areas than what it means in the US. That said I still think 40 hours was unneeded considering the ample evidence at the scene.

 

[Kiln]

I'm impressed. That is one of the very few stories I've read from the UK where the person wasn't prosecuted for shooting intruders.

Maybe there is hope for them after all, though I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Cactus Jack Arizona]

If this is so great, why were the home owners arrested and held for 40 hours? Why does it take cops 40 hours to question the home owners? And why arrest both the mr. and the mrs. when only one used the shotgun? What kind of mickey mouse judicial system do they have across the pond?

Oh wait, they probably have the same mickey mouse judicial system that we have.

 

[robhof]

robhof

Actually I believe their system presumes guilty til proven innocent, kind of like our local cops think at crime scenes.

 

[Garak]

I don't think 40 hours is that much, considering that self-defence shootings are pretty rare in Europe, and the event happened in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere - just getting the investigations going probably took hours. What I'm actually surprised of is that the shooter was not charged and jailed. Perhaps the times are beginning to change?

 

[Blackstone]

A welcome contrast to that judge that called a burglar "courageous" for breaking into a house

 

[Flynt]

The poor couple was so traumatized by the breakin and their arrest that they're emmigrating to Australia!

My wife's in London on business for a few weeks. I hope she doesn't get mugged (as we did there a few years ago) and clobber the perp with her purse! She could end up in the Tower.

 

[Flynt]

I can't resist posting another comment on the decline of our cousins across the pond. It's not directly gun-related, but it does describe the nanny-state mentality that leads to ridiculous gun laws.

My wife is working in a London law office for a few weeks, and yesterday (talking on Skype) I mentioned this thread to her. She sighed and told me about asking for some scissors. She received what looked like over-sized kiddie scisssors -- blunt ends with some kind of plastic sheathing over the blades. She realized that they were designed so that they could never be used as a weapon.

 

[EnfieldEnthusiast]

If this is so great, why were the home owners arrested and held for 40 hours? Why does it take cops 40 hours to question the home owners? And why arrest both the mr. and the mrs. when only one used the shotgun? What kind of mickey mouse judicial system do they have across the pond?

A CID branch(Criminal Investigation Department)which are the detective branch of a police station can apply to the courts & to the Crown Prosecution Service,for additional time to hold a suspect for questioning,under The Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984,for longer than 28 hours,from what Ive been told by a former cop in The British Transport Police.If you think thats bad,then guess what life was like before PACE?It was basically like being in Ashes To Ashes or Life On Mars with Gene Hunt & co.The cops pre-1986,could arrest you,for pretty much anything,under The Judges Rulebook & could hold you in the cells for 2 weeks if they wanted!Im glad in someways PACE exists,especially,as some of them don't like gun owners or guns.