I joked on another thread, that I think self defense is a capital offence in the UK. At least I think it was a joke, only as to the penalty. As far as I know, use of force in self defense is easily a crime in the UK - only allowed in very narrow circumstances.
Not sure if it’s a matter of law, but there are a few stories of British farmers who used their shotguns (Nasty wound that!) in self defense and were prosecuted. I guess the Brits are still stinging from their last encounter with armed farmers...
The UK has odd laws on self defense.
Lethal self defense is pretty much forbidden. No guns, no knives, etc.
Using to force to protect property is also forbidden.
Folks trying to defend themselves must use “reasonable” force in self defense - subject to review by courts and judges who were not there. “Disproportionate” force will get you a jail sentence.
As as I can tell, if you win, you’re probably wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
As a Brit, and someone who in 2008 had to use that self defence right and law, what I read about UK self defence on FR is bunkum. And whats worse, I and others UK freepers keep on correcting people with the facts, yet we keep on reading the same guff time after time.
The facts are:
that UK self defence of the person and of property is andalways has been legal, and the law has in fact been strengthened in favour of the defender twice since 2007, even by Labour. As I said, due to Sept 2008, I KNOW this from firsthand exp, although I already knew the rights and the facts/myths, and said so on here pre-2008.
Sorry, but what Little Ray posted was simply not true: all the supposed bans and limits. In 2012, a Manchester man legally stabbed a burglar to death, no charges.
Where the UK and US are different perhaps is that US defence is more brutal and quick, as its by the gun, most UK self defence will be by fists or by knives, swords. That means the UK has a different latitude to acceptable limits of self defence.
BUT the notion we cannot defend ourselves and have all these bans and limits is simply not true. 99% of what I read from FR and the US on UK self defence is quite simply a load of crap, and that’s being polite.