Surely this is a warm-up for 1st April?

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/4pzc5f9

It gets dafter each day.

Why shouldn't we protect our property from these criminals without the fear of being sued if they injure themselves?

No court in the land should award compensation to a criminal if the injuries they received were sustained in the pursuance of a criminal act.

Surely it would be in the interest of the insurance companies to jointly get together and fight to get the law changed, after all it is mainly them who have to pick up the bill.

[flip_flop]

This really is quite simple and would be governed by the Occupiers Liability Act 1984.

You aren't allowed to set traps for tresspassers of burglars, but installing a metal mesh over the window of a shed is not a trap and therefore if a burglar was injured while trying to break-in, the shed owner would not be liable.

Almost certainly if a burglar did try to sue he would do so under the above Act and, unless my memory of the Act is not what it was, I can't see how a burglar could stand a chance of succeeding.

[anotheoldgit]

vibrasphere

/// you see AOG, the word is COULD, could lead to criminals claiming.
Not will or has done but COULD.
Just don't understand why you are so quick to go all frothy over this non story ///

First don't shout, it's against ABs rules.

So it is all wrong for one to be on their guard, best leave it until it happens eh?

Can't you understand that this is far from being a non story? as can been seen from the majorities response, it is something to be concerned about (not 'frothy') as you wrongly put.

[anotheoldgit]

/// but installing a metal mesh over the window of a shed is not a trap /// quite right flip_flop.

People install metal mess at their shed windows not only as a deterrent against intruders, but also to stop children breaking the glass, when they are out in the garden playing ball-games.

[jackthehat]

So then, AOG, you agree that this is a non-story.......?

If, as flip_flop's post shows, there is no law against putting mesh up, there can be no danger of any prosecutions resulting...........

Another spectacular rabble-rousing article from the Daily Wail.........

[AKMild]

Surely it's the responsibility of the burglar to mitigate risk and go about his (her) nefarious activities suitably protected against the horrors of wire mesh, having carried out a detailed risk assessment beforehand....................

[anotheoldgit]

jackthehat

/// So then, AOG, you agree that this is a non-story.......?///

No I do not, this is a story about the fact that the police have warned shed owners that there is a possibility of them being sued by the burglar if they happened to injure themselves on the mess put up to secure the shed windows against such intruders.

Now twist and turn it in your own particular way, but it is still a story worth reporting.

/// If, as flip_flop's post shows, there is no law against putting mesh up, there can be no danger of any prosecutions resulting..///.........

No there is no law against putting the mesh up, that is obvious, but the implications that can arise from such an action is another thing entirely.........

[jackthehat]

Nonsense, utter nonsense.

People can only be prosecuted under laws that actually *exist*......!!

[AKMild]

Jack, there may not be a case for the CPS to bring a prosecution, but the burglar could bring a civil claim against the householder.

[jackthehat]

There's that 5-letter word again..........*could*..........

[anotheoldgit]

It is the same with that story that says "if one sweeps up the snow outside one's house, and someone happens to slip on any ice etc that has been left in the process, one "COULD" be sued.

There's that 5-letter word again..........*could*......

Maybe but, "care to take the chance"? then that is entirely a different matter.

Your house "could" burn down, so one takes out insurance, but perhaps not it only "could", nothing certain.

Once again "care to take the chance"?

[jackthehat]

Not if you follow the scare-mongering Daily Wail, you don't........

[andy-hughes]

vibrasphere - "Probableee .... tra lah lah ...."

[youngmafbog]

All part of being in Europe and the ECHR. We are no longer king of our castle the rat boys are.

Most right-on liberals have taken leave of their comoon sense in pursuit of their ideologies and we are left with the mess. Plod being filled with University types (righton liberals) backs them.

Egypt had a revolution, perhpas ours will be next ?