The defendants appealed against their convictions and sentences for causing grievous bodily harm. The first defendant’s home had been burgled and his family humiliated and threatened with severe violence. The second defendant was called in by the first, and they chased the burglars some distance from the house, catching one and inflicting very serious injury.
Held: The case was not about the right of a homeowner to defend his home, but about what was seen by the jury as a retaliatory attack. The appeals against conviction failed. The two defendants were however of exemplary character, and given the exceptional circumstances, the sentences were reduced, and in the case of the homeowner, suspended.
Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Swift and Mr Justice Sweeney
Times 01-Feb-2010
England and Wales
Crime, Criminal Sentencing
Updated: 02 November 2021; Ref: scu.396587