Posted on 01/23/2008 7:19:19 PM PST by PotatoHeadMick
A millionaire yesterday told how he fought off three armed burglars who were holding a knife to his daughter's throat, saying he "would rather die like a man than a dog".
Bernard Dwyer, 51, was convinced he and his family were about to be killed so he chose to take on the men - hours after they had allegedly killed a restaurant owner, a court heard.
Mr Dwyer came to his 13-year-old daughter Aisling's rescue after hearing her piercing screams for help, the Old Bailey was told.
Despite being threatened with a gun, stabbed three times in the head and beaten unconscious with a knuckle-duster, Mr Dwyer fought back as one of his attackers screamed "kill the b******".
He managed to wrestle a gun from one of the masked raiders and chased them from his luxury home in Uxbridge, West London, in November 2006, the jury heard.
Yesterday, Irish-raised Mr Dwyer, a construction boss, faced two of the three men accused of the burglary.
Brothers Michael and Dean Atkins are also on trial for the murder of restaurant owner Helen Chung, 65, the day before the break-in.
A third man, Joseph Carty, committed suicide in his cell last year while on remand for both offences.
The court heard Mr Dwyer, Aisling, now 14, and his son Danny, 19, were asleep when three men burst in.
He said: "I heard people running up the stairs and Aisling screaming 'Dad'. I had never heard screaming like that before. I knew something was clearly wrong."
Mr Dwyer said he jumped from his bed and ran towards Aisling's room but was confronted at the doorway. "There were three guys coming towards me," he said.
"All masked, all covered with balaclavas, gloves, padded out, forensically aware.
"One man was holding a gun, waving it about, screaming menacingly."
He said they attacked him after he agreed to show them where his safe was, one with a knuckle-duster.
Mr Dwyer said: "I took quite a few blows at that point.
"I have seen things on television and I have seen violent stuff but I have never seen this level of violence.
"I was being compliant and they were smashing and bashing me."
Mr Dwyer was knocked unconscious for a few minutes and when he came round one man was holding a knife to Aisling's throat and screaming: "I am going to cut your f****** daughter".
Mr Dwyer said: "We were going to die anyway, that's what I thought. I thought, if I am going to die then I would rather die like a man than a dog."
Mr Dwyer pushed the weapon away before striking the attacker.
"I hit him several times, I hit him plenty. The man with the knuckleduster screamed 'He's fighting back the b******, kill the b******, he's fighting back.'"
Mr Dwyer said he was stabbed three times in the head but managed to fight the raiders off and shut the bedroom door. But the men tried to push back in and they fought again, he said. "I have never used a weapon in my life and it was a great feeling.
"I grabbed the gun and bashed it across the knuckle-duster guy. Next thing is they took off and I chased them down the stairs."
The raiders fled empty-handed, leaving Mr Dwyer with broken ribs and 30 cuts to his body and head.
The court has heard the blood of Mr Dwyer and the restaurant owner were found on the gun at his home.
Michael Atkins, 25, and Dean Atkins, 26, both of no fixed address, deny murder, two counts of aggravated burglary, wounding with intent and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.
It is claimed the two also murdered Mrs Chung the previous night after she refused to reveal the hiding place of her £218,000 life savings when they broke into her home.
The court has heard the blood of both the businessman and the restaurant owner were found on the gun when it recovered from Mr Dwyer's home.
A DNA sample matching Joseph Carty, 21, - who later hanged himself in his cell at Belmarsh prison last February - was also discovered on the handle and on swabs taken from the face of Mrs Chung.
Dean Atkins had escaped from Stanford Open Prison in on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, just two days before the attack in Cowley, west London, on November 5, 2006. He was allegedly picked up by his brother and Carty.
Kam Fum Chung, known by all as Helen, was grabbed as she returned home at Meadow View, Cowley, after finishing work at the Chinese Mandarin restaurant in West Drayton.
Within minutes of arriving home she was repeatedly kicked and stamped and died from multiple fractures to her skull, face, neck and ribs.
Michael Atkins was arrested six weeks after the attack on December 21 in the Southwick area of Brighton, East Sussex.
Dean Atkins was arrested in the early hours of November 18, 2006, when a car was stopped in the area of Langley, Berkshire, near West Drayton, west London.
The trial continues.
see above post re: min security in the USA...
I don’t think even the wussy Brits will give this guy any trouble for defending himself in this case. Sad, pathetic that I have to even write that sentence.
The lady that was killed the day previously (Kam Fum Chung) is exactly the reason why they should allow as many guns as possible in the UK. From her picture, she looked like a middle aged smallish Chinese woman.
This is exactly the kind of woman that could benefit from having a firearm and be trained in it’s use. She was no match for these brutes, but with a firearm the odds are now evened up.
Of course he could have benefitted also, but even so he’s a big guy who can defend himself. Even against people stabbing him. The weakest members of society are the ones that benefit most from the right to bear arms.
I would love to get a gun....but I am nervous about it. I have 5 kids in the house.....I have a Louiville next to my side of the bed./
I need that shirt!
Too bad he only chased them with the gun. But if he had shot them over there, he would have served time.
The charges listed “imitation” firearm.
Especially since he used a firearm, albeit one he "liberated" from the attackers. That's got to be against the law there... except even in the UK there is such a thing as prosecutorial discretion, even if they exercise it even less often than New York City or Chicago prosecutors.
Intent to do what, shout BANG?
While one admires the Irish gentleman (a contradiction perhaps? I had an Uncle and have a cousin by the name of McManaman. Very Irish) for his attitude, I'd just as soon such a law abiding person could have shot them all dead, D E A D, dead with a lawfully owned firearm. Be hard to do though. Thugs are generally cowards and beat feet at the first sign of serious threat to their own hides. You have to be quick, like the gentleman in the Houston area who did for two burglars. Of course he took 3 shots with a 12 gauge to do it. You have to be quick and he was.
And we don't know whether he tried or not.
And some rather ridiculous gun handling. Firing a DE "gangsta" style would likely result in a broken or at severly strained wrist. :)
Pretty sure swords are out as well, or at least must be kept inaccessible. Maybe a cricket bat you could get away with, but any obvious club is out in many jurisdictions as well. Anything that could be used as an offensive weapon. I don't recall which jurisdiction, but I got that "anything that could be used" right off of a UK police agency website.
Yep. They don’t call firearms “the great equalizer” for nothing.
what the heck is a DE?
IMI (Israeli Military Industries/Magnum Research) Desert Eagle, in the movie clip, one in .50 AE (Action Express). Like this.
Of I could have meant a Destroyer Escort,
but shooting one of these gangsta style would be...interesting. ;)
Once again we're reminded of the importance of mindset.
This guy did good. Real good.
Gee, how could that happen?
Remind me to be very nice to you :)
"Michael Atkins, 25, and Dean Atkins, 26, both of no fixed address, deny murder, two counts of aggravated burglary, wounding with intent and possession of an imitation firearm with intent. "
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