Homeowner fights off knife-wielding burglars, gets 30 months; burglar spared jail

scorza · 14 Dec 2009 at 21:57

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6956044.ece

God bless the British justice system, if we allowed this sort of ruthless vigilantism to go unpunished then our civilisation might collapse, according to the judge at least.

A businessman who fought off knife-wielding thugs who were threatening to kill his family has been jailed for 30 months, while his attackers avoided a jail sentence.

The case, compared to that of Tony Martin, jailed after he shot dead a teenage burglar at his farmhouse in 2000, has prompted debate over the level of force that householders can legitimately use to defend themselves.

Munir Hussain and his wife and three children returned from their local mosque during Ramadan to find three intruders, wearing balaclavas, in their home.

The family members’ hands were tied behind their backs and they were forced to crawl from room to room. Hussain, chairman of the Asian Business Council, was told that he would be killed, but made his escape after throwing a coffee table and enlisted his brother Tokeer in chasing the offenders down the street in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, bringing one of them to the ground.

What followed was described in Reading Crown Court as self-defence that went too far, leaving intruder Walid Salem with a permanent brain injury after he was struck with a cricket bat so hard that it broke into three pieces. Neighbours saw several men beating Salem with weapons including a metal pole.

Salem was the only intruder caught after the incident on September 3, 2008, but his injuries meant he was not fit to plead after being charged with false imprisonment.

Salem, who has a string of 50 past convictions, was given a two-year supervision order at a court hearing in September this year. He is currently in custody awaiting trial for an alleged credit card fraud.

Disco Boy · 14 Dec 2009 at 21:59

He beat the living **** out of someone, of course that deserves imprisonment. He went way too far.

SteveOBHave · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:02

Disco Boy said:
He beat the living **** out of someone, of course that deserves imprisonment. He went way too far.

Exactly

scorza · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:02

Disco Boy said:
He beat the living **** out of someone, of course that deserves imprisonment. He went way too far.

He beat the living **** out of someone who threatened his wife and kids. Fair play I say.

grudas · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:03

Disco Boy said:
He beat the living **** out of someone, of course that deserves imprisonment. He went way too far.

what would you do if someone threaten your family like this? let them go and say good bye? :rolleyes:

i'd probably have done the same.. even if police cought him all he would have got is 40quid fine.. win win situation for them.. why not do it then.. lets go everyone rob some poor people... why not?! :mad:

drogon · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:03

Then again he did break into that guy’s home as well as threatening his life and the life of his family. I think many people would have reacted in a similar fashion

Kristoph · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:04

Have you actually read it?

The people had left his property, and he continued to chase them and then beat him nearly to death?

British justice system? Try almost any justice system, including USA, and you'll probably find they all agree that it was over the top.

He managed to get the guy to the ground, exact your own punishment = you will be punished... or go a little lighter with the beating, and let the police deal with it.

ash_91 · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:04

Way too far, no need to chase them down the street and smash a bat over his head!

Just as bad as the burglars.

Glaucus · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:04

Neighbours saw several men beating Salem with weapons including a metal pole.

Salem was the only intruder caught after the incident on September 3, 2008, but his injuries meant he was not fit to plead after being charged with false imprisonment.

what is wrong with the verdict?

Eriedor · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:05

I agree with the ruling.

Disco Boy · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:05

grudas said:
what would you do if someone threaten your family like this? let them go and say good bye? i'd probably have done the same.. even if police cought him all he would have got is 40quid fine.. win win situation for them.. why not do it then.. lets go everyone rob some poor people... why not?!

scorza said:
He beat the living **** out of someone who threatened his wife and kids. Fair play I say.

Let's start cutting the hands off thieves and bring in death by stoning while we're at it shall we?

Glaucus · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:05

grudas said:
what would you do if someone threaten your family like this? let them go and say good bye? :

defending himself was not the problem. Several people beating him up with metal poles after he's had a cricket bat around the head is not self defence.

semi-pro waster · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:06

While we do not have full access to all the facts it reads very much as if Mr Hussain, his brother and a couple of others went beyond what may be considered reasonable self defence (even if we allow a rather loose definition) and it went into the realms of a punishment beating to the permanent impairment of Mr Salem so on that basis I'd have to believe that the judge got it right.

Kutter · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:06

His only mistake was doing it outside his house.

I was in Wycombe in 89 i think it was when it all kicked off between the blacks and the asians, we were walking home from the Student union bar and there was a dead guy in the road, 3 black guys had threatend some asians in a makeshift pool place. Anyways they bit off more than they could chew and one of them got run through with a pool cue in the middle of the road. looks like nothing has changed.

Its still a hell hole.

Yozz76 · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:06

Good on him, I would do time to protect my family too.

Glaucus · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:08

Yozz76 said:
Good on him, I would do time to protect my family too.

you don't need to do time to protect your family.
Once someone has been hit around the head with a cricket bat, hard enough for it to break. you do not need to beat the guy up with metal bars 3 on 1.

Voltar · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:08

Disco Boy said:
He beat the living **** out of someone, of course that deserves imprisonment. He went way too far.

Q.F.T

To attempt to compare this or even draw any parallels with the case of Tony Martin is a disgrace.

scorza · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:10

Kristoph said:
Have you actually read it?

The people had left his property, and he continued to chase them and then beat him nearly to death?

The burglars had only left his property after tying up the guys wife and kids, and threatening them. You can understand why the Mr Hussain might have been a bit angry?

Kristoph said:
British justice system? Try almost any justice system, including USA, and you'll probably find they all agree that it was over the top.

Find one case like this in any other country. Or do you think there's something specific about British crime?

ticklemebougy · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:10

The ruling was right, he went way to far. if he just caught salem and kept him on the ground till police came he would be a free man, almost beating him to death was a bit far. I would have given the guy a few punches but not beat him with a cricket bat.

Freefaller · 14 Dec 2009 at 22:10

Whilst I can understand the anger seething through the veins of Munir Hussain (his family had been tied up and threatened) - he did go over the top. The **** no doubt deserved a good kicking, but whether or not he should have actually received such injuries and such a blood-fuelled hunt is hard to call.

I'll be the first to admit that I see red if anyone threatens my family (far too quickly and I'm not proud of it at all

) and I honestly cannot say how I'd react to such a situation. I don't know the full situation, and what is being reported seems to want to make us believe that it was a "lust for retribution/blood". I can't be sure of that.

I'm in 2 minds. Those ****s shouldn't have been breaking into someone's home and threatening someone's family or even lay their hands on them (they were tied by them presumably) without some fear of revenge, fight.

However if the retribution was done in such a horrifically violent way as portrayed it's hard to accept it as justified. However adrenaline and fear does crazy things to you.

I'm trying to imagine what I'd feel like if someone had touched my family and threatened their lives...

No, I'm finding it hard to find sympathy for the crooks I'm afraid, I'm moving from the fence towards Mr Hussain.... however I'm not sure of the full details and any extenuating or mitigating circumstances.