Skip to comments.
Man Who Stabbed Burglar Guilty of Manslaughter (Big Barf!)
Times Online (London) ^
| September 11, 2002
| Steve Bird
Posted on 09/12/2002 12:38:51 PM PDT by jstone78
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-47 next last
Aren't the British are supposed to be the most civilized nation on earth? In the old days, they used to say that an Englishman's home is his castle (i.e. don't dare step in his home without permission, or you will be in deep trouble).
In the motherland of Anglo-Saxon Civilization, a man has no right to defend his wife and children from home invaders. I thought only Zimbabwe denies Englishmen the right to defend their homes.
Instead of being put on trial like a common criminal, and threatened with the prospect of life in prison, Mr. Hastings should be rewarded for his courage in fighting off a violent robber with a criminal record, armed with only a knife.
Is Anglo-Saxon civilization on its last legs?
1
posted on
09/12/2002 12:38:51 PM PDT
by
jstone78
To: jstone78
The jury of six men and six women found Hastings guilty of manslaughter on a 10-2 majority verdict after 13 hours of deliberation. Here in the (former) Colonies, we would call that a "hung jury". Of course, in many of these united States, he wouldn't have been charged in the first place.
To: jstone78
LOL @
There is no doubt that Roger Williams was a thoroughly bad hat in the eyes of the law. The Brits are goofy, as usual.
To: jstone78
This is a familiar story. The British government won't protect its citizens from crime and won't let them protect themselves.
4
posted on
09/12/2002 12:44:42 PM PDT
by
Thud
To: jstone78
Mr. Hastings' mistake was to have not placed a butcher knife in the hand of the bastard.
To: jstone78
Much like America, British citizens allow government to step all over their rights.
Unfortunately, I see no sign that the british people (or american people for that matter) are ready to initiate change.
6
posted on
09/12/2002 12:45:51 PM PDT
by
Drammach
To: jstone78
I can't even think of a cogent response to this rediculous ruling. What the hell were they thinking? This man should be celebrated, not imprisoned.
To: jstone78
A disgusting verdict, but this jumped out at me:
Hastings, who was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month, faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The Brits don't have the death penalty, right? And yet the maximum for *manslaughter* is life in prison? Huh?
8
posted on
09/12/2002 12:51:15 PM PDT
by
Sloth
To: Sloth
Taking a life while protecting your property will get you a manslaughter rap most anywhere in the US, too. But in Mr. Hastings' case, the infant children were at home and so he could have made a fair case of defending his family. I really wonder if he had a poor lawyer...
To: WindMinstrel; Sloth; Eric in the Ozarks; EggsAckley
Hastings, originally from Glasgow, has a conviction for burglary and police cautions for carrying a knife and causing actual bodily harm. Seems like the Brits have got the best deal all round. They have one dead burglar, and another one with a propensity for violence about to be banged up for life.
10
posted on
09/12/2002 1:02:44 PM PDT
by
walwyn
To: Sloth
{....The Brits don't have the death penalty, right? And yet the maximum for *manslaughter* is life in prison? Huh?....}
I am just as clueless as you are. All nations of the world look up to Britain, the nation that is supposed to be the gold standard of Western Civilization.
Whatever happened to English Common Law? What happened to the nation that provided America with its founding fathers? Institutions of modern democracy are derived, not from the Greeks, but from the British (Magna Carta, Parliaments, independent courts, rule of law, etc.)
If the gold standard of civilization as we know it, is not performing as it should, what does that say about the rest of us?
11
posted on
09/12/2002 1:06:43 PM PDT
by
jstone78
To: Eric in the Ozarks
After the brawl, Hastings discovered that his family was staying with relatives. No poor defence at all. We just have a knifeman with excuses.
12
posted on
09/12/2002 1:08:04 PM PDT
by
walwyn
To: jstone78
This is the result of 65 years of Labour governments and 150 years of statutory law mucking up the common law. Under the Common Law, as it existed even at the turn of the 20th century, an Englishman, confronted with an intruder who had broken into his house (or was indeed inside the 'close') in the nightime, would have been absolutely justified in executing the miscreant. That was, and in my view remains, the only sensible rule.
To: walwyn
walwyn signed up 2002-09-12.
Bored at DU?
14
posted on
09/12/2002 1:13:02 PM PDT
by
freeeee
To: Eric in the Ozarks
{.....Taking a life while protecting your property will get you a manslaughter rap most anywhere in the US, too.....}
For crying out loud, we are not talking about a person who lost the directions to his intended destination, and accidentally wandered onto someone else's property.
We are talking about a armed felon (armed with his homebreaking tool) with a conviction for violent crime, who was killed while in the act of robbing a home, and he posed a real danger to children. The felon died while in a struggle with the property owner, who was himself injured, while protecting his property. Where in America can you be convicted for that? The city of Berkeley, California?
15
posted on
09/12/2002 1:17:14 PM PDT
by
jstone78
To: jstone78
By all means, ping uk_nomad about this. She's a "refugee" from the US (Texas) to England, and she's absolutely convinced the English are superior to Americans in every way, AND they're not barbarians about justice. She'd LOVE the verdict in this case.
To: jstone78
I hereby propose a trade. England can have as many of our death row inmates as they would like - seeing how they find our death penalty barbaric. In return they may send us this terrible hardened criminal who committed the "bread knife massacre."
To: Eric in the Ozarks
If that's the way John Law wants to play it, we'll just have to start burying the bodies deeper or get a hog farm.
To: Eric in the Ozarks
Mr. Hastings' mistake was to have not placed a butcher knife in the hand of the bastard.Ah yes, the unregistered 'throw-down knife'. No home is complete without one. Or two or three.
To: asformeandformyhouse
Well, the guy who broke into the house was armed - he had a crow bar.
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-47 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson