What would you do?

Soundood · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:27

I would have used one of my many restraining methods taught to me back in Nam, he is a very lucky man, that I didn't come across him doing this.

Burnsy2023 · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:27

Mr Joshua said:
This could have been quite a dangerous prank had someone waded straight in a booted the bloke in the face.

Perhaps the fact that this didn't happen proves the point?

King Damager · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:27

I'd intervene, or try to if I didn't think my own life was in danger by doing so. I know that sounds fairly selfish, but still.

Was surprised by how many people just walked off like nothing was happening.

kd

aardvark · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:27

pretty risky when people do these things - i would like to believe i would kick the guy in the head as hard as i could.

No1newts · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:30

I'd like to think I would help out and have put myself at risk once or twice in the past to do so (dragged someone out if a flipped car once on a motorway /manflex) but these days people are so random you don't know what you will get. I have a son to look after these days and this has made me a lot more cautious so whilst I would like to help, I'm honestly not too sure if I would.

Burnsy2023 · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:31

aln said:
With the wife beater, generally the wife puts up with it. The first time round you'd probably call the cops. With a bit of experience realising she won't press charges, it's a recurring trend and getting involved is likely to backfire on you.

A couple of points on that. In the UK the victim doesn't get a choice whether charges are brought, that's down to the Police and CPS. Secondly, we can and do bring DV prosecutions against people where we don't have the support of the victim, if it's in the public interest and we have enough evidence for it.

So if you keep calling, Police can and do intervene. I also think regardless of how it may or may not backfire, you have at least the duty to report it, because domestic violence does, sometimes, end in murder.

Ðudeth · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:31

the good Samaritan in most of us has died, these days you satnd more chance of being sued for trying to stop someone from bleeding after something like the above has happened or for even intervening.

Id like to say that i would go to someones aide but to be 100% honest i dont know , it would depend on the situation, i would certainly call the police regarding anything and if it involved a guy beating a woman (where i can only hear it or i can see it) i would certainly be getting involved

Raymond Lin · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:40

Burnsy2023 said:
A couple of points on that. In the UK the victim doesn't get a choice whether charges are brought, that's down to the Police and CPS. Secondly, we can and do bring DV prosecutions against people where we don't have the support of the victim, if it's in the public interest and we have enough evidence for it.

So if you keep calling, Police can and do intervene. I also think regardless of how it may or may not backfire, you have at least the duty to report it, because domestic violence does, sometimes, end in murder.

Case in point.

R v Thornton [1996] 1 WLR 1174

The appellant killed her alcoholic, abusive and violent husband. On the day in question the deceased returned home drunk and an argument erupted. At one point he asked her to leave and started throwing her clothes out. She then left the house with her husband's son. She returned later to find her husband asleep on the sofa. She went and changed into her night clothes and came down and asked her husband to come to bed. He called her a whore and told her to get out or he would kill her. She went to the kitchen got a knife and sharpened it then returned to the living room. Woke her husband and again asked him to come to bed. He made further abusive comments. She plunged the knife into his stomach which killed him. At her trial she raised the defence of diminished responsibility based on a personality disorder. She did not raise the defence of provocation but the judge directed the jury on provocation. She was convicted of murder. In her first appeal, the appellant challenged the Duffy direction given to the jury ie the requirement that the loss of control be sudden and temporary. This appeal was unsuccessful. She then appealed relying on fresh medical evidence that at the time of the killing she was suffering from battered woman syndrome in addition to her personality disorder and whilst the trial judge had directed the jury to take into account her characteristics in assessing whether she had lost her self control, he had not specifically mentioned these particular characteristics nor the fact that they could be attributed to the reasonable man when the jury is assessing the standard of control expected of the appellant.

Held:

The appeal was allowed and the murder conviction was quashed. In accordance with Morhall, Ahluwalia and Humphreys, the jury should have been directed that they could take into account her mental characteristics in assessing the standard of control expected of the defendant.

What about if the 3rd Party hit the assailant with something like a fire extinguisher instead of turning it on. killing the guy in the process with a head injury...is it reasonable to use that much force? or should he aim more accurately to his stomach or toes perhaps?

aln · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:41

Burnsy2023 said:
A couple of points on that. In the UK the victim doesn't get a choice whether charges are brought, that's down to the Police and CPS. Secondly, we can and do bring DV prosecutions against people where we don't have the support of the victim, if it's in the public interest and we have enough evidence for it.

So if you keep calling, Police can and do intervene. I also think regardless of how it may or may not backfire, you have at least the duty to report it, because domestic violence does, sometimes, end in murder.

And sometimes is that the murder of the guy who called it in? What happens after the police leave? Do you really win many my word against his cases?

I still didn't say I wouldn't, FYI, I just feel you can make a better case if you understand the general feelings on such issues.

Megahurtz400 · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:41

Phone out, 999, boot to the face, don't let anyone go anywhere.

Job done, sell story to local rag, make $$$, get these...

Biohazard · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:46

I'd open a can of whoopass.

Begbie · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:46

I reckon I would've punted the boy in the face. No way is he getting up after a swift kick to the face.

No way would I walk away though, horrible thing to do. Suprises me how many blokes walked away but some women battered the guy!

On Holiday · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:48

HAHA The fire extinguisher dude!

But seriously though, if it was clear the guys were serious then any saneful person would intervene and call the police.

gibb · 5 Mar 2013 at 19:55

I'd hope I would jump on the bad guys head in such a situation, as others have said. Or maybe grab that fire extinguisher and batter him with it.

In reality I'd probably stand there shocked for a bit like most of these people then probably shout for help whilst watching the door close.

CREATIVE!11 · 5 Mar 2013 at 20:04

I've gotten into a fight with 3 guys defending a smaller dude I know for fact did nothing cause I saw them walk up no reason then heard the fight occur whilst I was right by keeping eyes open, they went for him for no reason. I pretty much threw for fences on one of them landing some heavy shots he ran, then hit the next when he went for me and the 3rd ran off with the first followed by other one.

So yeah, i'd kick the guy in the head....

Not walk off. Cowards.

Strife212 · 5 Mar 2013 at 20:26

If someone had hit him over the head with the fire extinguisher and killed him they would probably escape prosecution because belief that an attack is taking place is sufficient defense.

dodgem · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:05

Wow, it's amazing how many people walked off, but not particularly surprising these days, in all honesty. People don't seem interested in helping others, even with the slightest things.

Being the kind of person who will always offer to help anyone I don't know, whether it's lifting a couple of bags of sand for an old boy in a diy shed, or reaching things off the shelves for little old ladies in the supermarket, I think I would have waded in. BUT, you won't know until you're in the situation yourself in my opinion.

Hopefully the two actors would manage to halt things before anyone got seriously hurt in this situation....

Pestilence · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:06

Immediately commence urinating on them both.

ethan · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:16

I would imagine the sensible thing to do would be call the police for assistance along with covering yourself for any damage you might inflict. Saying that you don't want to spend 2-5 mins on a phone talking to someone if a person is getting croaked. Both ideally, the second if there is no other choice.

Transam · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:19

Straight into my boxing stance, then remain in that stance and do nothing more.