Right-to-fight burglars law welcomed

Date published: 09 June 2010


Proposals to allow householders the right to fight off burglars have been welcomed by a Rochdale Euro MP.

“I am very pleased to hear that Ken Clarke is set to introduce such a law. It is very overdue in my opinion,” said Mr Paul Nuttall of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).

“I have long wondered how many more householders will be prosecuted for defending themselves, their home and family from scum intruders before the law is changed.

“The legal phrase ‘reasonable force’ can be a difficult concept for jurors and the current legislation favours the intruder not the householder.”

But Mr Nuttall pointed out that the Conservatives have already backed away from their earlier pledge to scrap the Human Rights Act. “How much does this Government really care for the rights of the individual? That is the law-abiding hard-working members of society as opposed to criminals and terrorists who literally seem able to get away with murder,” he said.

Mr Nuttall added that he has signed up to the Safe As Houses online petition which seeks clarification of the legal definition of reasonable force.

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