It really doesn't matter if you choose to sleep with a baseball bat by your bed, and then use it to defend your home/family. The context that's important is the one in which you use it, not where you keep it: it's not an offensive weapon in and of itself.
Would the police count this as an offensive weapon?
- Thread starter scorza
- Start date
You practically have to go out and hunt someone down and kill them, or get a chainsaw out and chop them up in the kitchen for you to be found guilty when it's an intruder.
The Police rightly investigate every case as if it's a potential planned murder (there have been a couple), but generally it only reaches court if it's really unusual circumstances, it looks like you've shot them in the back, or the injuries suggest it was a sustained attack after they were on the ground.
You can use virtually anything you reasonably have to hand, be it a harpoon that's stored in the cupboard with your scuba gear, the hammer you were using to hang some pictures up with, a baseball bat, a knife you grabbed from the kitchen worktop.
The key things tend to be that you shouldn't follow them out, shouldn't keep hitting them once they're down and/or unconscious, and should inform the police ASAP. I think every conviction in relation to "self defence" against an intruder has had two or three of those ignored. It's incredibly rare, Tony Martin and the guy who called up his relatives and went out to hunt down the intruder and then killed him in front of dozens of people who pleased with them to stop are about the only two that I can think of in the last few years.
Well just because the police didn't do anything doesn't make it a "grey area". There's a lot more going on in your story than a the man that was running away.
"Where can I buy large quantities of lime?"
"Where can I buy large quantities of lime?"
Having them round for Gin and Tonic's are you?
It's 'Lye'
Soldato
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- Inverness (UK)
This.
Anything can be considered a weapon, a screwdriver, heck even a rock.
If they have belief that you were about to use them as a weapon.
As has been stated - If it is in your house and looks normal - All good.
Buying a bat shaped torch, not really cool.
Since they'll be the people sitting on the jury judging whether or not you deserve a life sentence or not, I say it does matter what they think.
Having them round for Gin and Tonic's are you?
It's 'Lye'
I thought it was lime as well - short for quicklime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxide. Is lye
the purpose of a Jury isn't to make up laws - they don't Judge whether you deserve a life sentence or not - they decide 'guilty' or 'not guilty' based on facts and direction by the Judge
Quicklime, as you linked to, is Calcium Oxide.
Lye, a different thing entirely, is Sodium Hydroxide.
A little bit off-topic..
Where does the law stand on self defence if getting into a confrontation on the street? Say a situation turns ugly and someone squares up to me? I'm now wondering if as soon as that occurs I am within my rights to punch him first as I feel threatened? This is assuming I don't batter him senseless of course. For years I thought someone would have to hit you first for you to be allowed to defend yourself in the eyes of the law - not so sure now.
Where does the law stand on self defence if getting into a confrontation on the street? Say a situation turns ugly and someone squares up to me? I'm now wondering if as soon as that occurs I am within my rights to punch him first as I feel threatened? This is assuming I don't batter him senseless of course. For years I thought someone would have to hit you first for you to be allowed to defend yourself in the eyes of the law - not so sure now.
@ExRayTed Pre-emptive strikes can be allowed in UK law:
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/self_defence/#Pre-emptive
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/self_defence/#Pre-emptive
Soldato
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What's the mandatory sentence for murder?
Ta
what has that got to do with anything - sentencing is nothing to do with a Jury
Is this a question, or a statement?
Just get a 6D cell Maglite.
(4 is actually quite sufficient!
That would do but for some a keyboard would suffice.