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Can You REALLY Defend Yourself in the UK?

BlackBeltBarrister

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Joint statement on self defence, defending your home, reasonable force, and using a weapon for self defence:
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20 Comments

@TeckleEh 3 years ago

I am from the UK (Scotland) and WAS charged with assault as a teenager when defending myself. I was being attacked by two guys who claimed to have a knife at the time. I threw one punch which knocked one of them to the floor while they attacked me, and then I ran like no tomorrow. Police caught up to me about 3 months later, and I was charged with assault even though there were witnesses who said I was defending myself. Police just wanted to charge me and move on, when I mentioned the threat of a knife I was told if I didn't have proof of the claim then they wouldn't be adding it to my statement.

The court ended up dropping the charge against me because it was a minor offence and I was never in trouble previously, while the two guys that attacked me had previous for both carrying knives and assaulting other people.

Before this happened my career plan was to join the police and work toward being a detective. Unfortunately, since that day, I have never trusted the police or justice system in our country. I have had similar experiences since then with being assaulted on nights out in the street and robbed at knifepoint in broad daylight with the police refusing to even look at CCTV of both incidents.

@martync7436 3 years ago (edited)

You absolutely can defend yourself in the UK. Just be ready to defend yourself again when the state comes for you.

@brian280453 3 years ago

I am now in my seventies, too slow to run, too old too fight fair. If someone breaks into my home at night, and if I hear them I shall use the maximum force to prevent them causing injury to myself and my wife, I shall assume that they intend to cause harm to us and use lethal force if I have to. At my age life in prison is not much of a deterrent when there is a chance that the perpetrator would have possibly fatally injured me anyway.

@nataliacroxton2269 2 years ago (edited)

When will the law acknowledge the fact that intruders had NO RIGHT to break into the house they broke into ! 😱

@dislikebutton2462 3 years ago

Rule 1. your opponent can have a weapon and you cannot (unless you're in a bear Grylls documentary and one just happens to appear next to you)

Rule 2: you have to keep in mind the wellbeing of the possible murderous psychopath because someone who wasn't present at time can claim you went overboard and punish you

rule 3: When you're forced to defend yourself you better start praying the judge isn't in a bad mood or have personal beliefs that put you at a disadvantage

Nope, our justice system isn't stacked in the criminals favour at all

@kderules 3 years ago

Shocking news that criminals don't care what the law says. The law-abiding will always be at a disadvantage.

@greenpedal370 3 years ago

I've been attacked and had to defend myself. It is impossible to determine what is reasonable during the event when full of adrenaline and in fear of your life.

@davidbarlow431 3 years ago

The sad reality is the entire system is more concerned with the rights of criminals than the decent citizen.

@TiredAshes 3 years ago

So, I'm "allowed" to defend myself under UK law - how gracious of the state - but I am not allowed to prepare a weapon in order to do that. I'm glad that the government deems it acceptable, at least, to meet home intruders with a lamp whilst they are armed with machetes and baseball bats...

@alanmunce7824 1 year ago

Nearly 20 years ago we had two masked men trying to break into the rear of our shop. I thought it was teenage kids, I tackled them and one ran off. The man I caught I restrained kept hold of him, but gave him a good hiding. (what triggered this was when he said -Don't worry the insurance will cover the damage). My wife had already rang the police. The police turned up and took him away. One officer stopped to take a statement from me. I was still angry, surprised, overloaded with adrenaline and relief - being an honest person I told the officer everything, a blow by blow account, literally! The Police officer was absolutely brilliant. Every time he wrote a short paragraph he said "just let me reword that slightly...". The statement really was a true account of events, but seemed to emphasis that we were the victims and the burglars were the aggressors. So impressed with that officer.

@kteele8641 3 years ago

Rough translation:

It is unlawful for a normal citizen to defend themselves using a weapon, unless, by sheer luck, they stumble across a weapon whilst being attacked, and are somehow able to successfully grab the weapon and then successfully use it against the attacker.

Of course, it is far more likely the attacker uses the weapon on you and beats you half to death.

Though, don't worry too much. The police may be taking a break from policing naughty words online, and be in a position to recover your body.

Welcome to the UK everyone!

@studio1972 3 years ago

The moment you enter somebody's home intending to burgle it, you should be considered to have signed a waiver indemnifying the occupant against any claim you or the state may have for harm to yourself.

@markb5403 3 years ago

One piece of advice I got from my solicitor was to use any means necessary to defend yourself but as soon as police arrive, produce a business card for your solicitor and refuse any and ALL questions without a solicitor. Not a duty solicitor who works next door to the police station & knows all the cops on first name basis, but an actual defence solicitor who knows the nuances inside out. The police always "just want to understand what happened" and then use it against you. Say nothing at all without a lawyer in the room.

@josephrobinson6171 3 years ago

The case of a crazy dude breaking into a teenager's room when he was home alone and beating the shit out of him until the teenager grabbed a knife from the bedside table and stabbed the guy in the stomach while he was on top of him led to the teenager being charged for murder and convicted because the attacker was unarmed. That example alone tells you you cannot defend yourself in the UK. If a literal child being beaten on by a full grown larger man who broke into his house cannot use a weapon to defend himself

@sislater6334 3 years ago

The bestway to defend yourself and avoid legal consequences is not getting caught

@noelward8047 3 years ago

I admire BBB's faith in the legal system ... it is long gone for many others.

@dellawrence4323 3 years ago (edited)

I have only one thing to say on this subject, "Having two feet in the dock is better than being six feet in a grave". Do what you need to do and worry about the law later.

@ghollidge 3 years ago

As the Americans say, "better to be judged by six, then carried by six". That's how I see the world

@tonywilliams7571 3 years ago

My local pub, guy was attacked by some other guy and his brother (all with boxing experience) in the car park. Guy defends himself, victim knocks out guy No. 1, goes down, cracks head. Dead. Arrested, charged with manslaughter. Jury watches the pub CCTV video, the victim walks (correctly). Turns out he was attacked from behind, without warning. Jury took less than an hour to decide. Who in the police thought this case had legs? Cost tens of thousands to bring the case to court. Wasted.

@JohnSusanSchofield 3 years ago

IMO one of the biggest problems with our laws is the use of words like "reasonable". They are so open to interpretation that they can be twisted to allow loopholes in both prosecution and defence.