Racially Aggravated Self Defence

[ianwright86]

I went to a nightclub with my girlfriend and mates last week for a birthday which was all good up until the end of the night.
Outside waiting for a cab some drunk guy decided to start abusing me for the color of my skin.
At first I just ignored him until the comments starting getting really abusive. He came right up to me and was screaming in my face. People nearby had to hold him back!
I know I shouldn't of and am usally a very laid back placid lad but I just lost it and punched the guy. I then went home very depressed!
Now I keep worrying that the guy is some kind of nutter and will come after me or it was caught on camera and I'll be the one that gets in trouble.
I've never been in any trouble before so just want advice as to what I should do next or should I try to just forget it?

[murraymints]

I'd forget it move on..keep away from that club...

[jake-the-peg]

I think you're probably in the clear however you may have made a mistake in the way you described things.

You are permitted to strike the first blow in self-defence if you had a realistic belief that you were in danger and you couldn't get away any other way.

I'm sure that with a crowd about you escape seemed impossible and that you had such a belief which is why you struck him.

I'm sure you didn't 'just lose it' and that was just a mistake ;c)

[totoise]

there is no excuse for any type of abuse,im afraid you made yourself as bad as him.learn from this,it is a better person who turns the other cheek,saying that i was not there.it is only a minority of people that are like this,but a minority too much.Im sorry this has happened,not everyone is like this, you wou`nt forget this,but maybe move on,and do not let it spoil any more nights out,take care.

[Peter Pedant]

first of all Ian I am sorry that a good night out with your friends turned out so bad.
Advice about what to do next - wait and see.
If there are going to be consequences there is nothing you can now do to alter them so just wait and see.

I think you are doing the right thing about discussing it
and you may wish to do that with your friends.

And you know we all have to learn this: which is to go out and drink and NOT get involved in a fight. It is a lesson we all have to learn. You have had a narrow escape and learnt from it.

So now go out and enjoy yourself and after a drink or two - keep your hands to yourself.

[FredPuli43]

As above.

Provocation is no defence to assault; it doesn't matter what the abuse was, racial or not, it doesn't justify violence. Self-defence only arises when the defendant is in fear of then and there being subject to violence.

(Provocation can be a defence to murder, but before anybody gets the idea that it would be better to kill someone than merely assault them, I should point out that provocation only reduces murder to manslaughter. You can get life for manslaughter).