If an Englishman’s home is his castle, these days it may seem he no longer has the right to defend it. Martin was described in the popular press as a hero and a tragic example of how the law turns innocent homeowners into criminals.īut, in reality, English law clearly states that you can defend yourself, your family, and your property against intruders.Ĭonsider the infamous case of Tony Martin, a farmer who was convicted of murder in 2000, for shooting dead an intruder who broke into his farmhouse in the middle of the night. The key message here is: Fake law tells us that homeowners defending themselves are treated like criminals. Under English self-defense laws, even killing can be legally permissible as long your actions fulfill two vital criteria.įirst, you must have believed that using force was necessary to protect yourself from harm. For instance, if you seriously injure a masked attacker who runs at you with a machete, and afterward realize that it was actually a children’s entertainer dressed as Winnie the Pooh, then you could still claim that you acted in self-defense.Ĭrucially, it doesn’t matter if you’re correct in this assumption, it only matters that you genuinely thought, at that moment, that your life was in danger. Second, your response must be proportionate to the threat you face.
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