[David Hunter]

I agree with what you have written about professional criminals having the advantage over the law abiding citizenry, even when the citizenry get organised and turn nasty. However, there would be a political advantage to a vigilante like organisation getting involved in this case.

The formation of an pseudo-vigilante organisation, even one that doesn't actually take any action other than "talking the talk" and being highly vocal in the media, together with support from middle class respectable British people is likely to cause the arrogant British government to reverse its tradition of ignoring the victims of robbery and burglary and with any luck to rethink its policy on self defence.

Nothing will happen if another householder, or a hundred, are convicted for defending themselves against burglars under similar circumstances, they will just be prosecuted by the same worthless idiots that Martin was. What's needed is someone to start rocking the boat, to frighten the government into enacting more right wing/libertarian style policies.

[Billthedrill]

I agree. Throwing the bums out of office is the normal recourse in a democratic society. Perhaps a vigorous, grass-roots publicity campaign on the line of "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more" might bear fruit? It will have to be local, though - the ones pushing the criminal coddling policies are, by and large, safe in their offices in a city far away.