PULVERDAMPF

Briten dürfen künftig Einbrecher mit Waffen abwehren

Einbrecher sollen es in Großbritannien künftig schwerer haben: Die Regierung gibt Opfern von Einbrüchen und Raubüberfällen mehr Rechte zur Selbstverteidigung. Demnach dürfen sich Überfallene künftig auch mit Waffengewalt zur Wehr setzen.

„Wenn eine alte Frau bemerkt, dass ein 18-Jähriger in ihr Haus einbricht, und sie nimmt ein Küchenmesser und sticht es ihm in den Leib, dann macht sie sich keiner Straftat schuldig“, sagte Justizminister Kenneth Clarke heute der BBC.

Das Parlament soll demnächst einem Gesetzentwurf zustimmen, der das bereits bestehende Recht auf Selbstverteidigung ausweitet und Unklarheiten ausräumen soll. „Wir werden klarmachen, dass man auf einen Einbrecher mit dem Schürhaken losgehen kann, wenn das die beste Möglichkeit zur Verteidigung ist“, sagte der Minister. Fliehenden Räubern in den Rücken zu schießen bleibe aber verboten.

>Michael< hat geschrieben:Aber wenn ich Jemanden packe und durchs Fenster schmeisse, fällt das nicht unter gefährdung von Dritten? Ich wandere so oder so in den Bau!

On people's rights to self-defence in their homes, Mr Clarke said there was "constant doubt" about the issue and the proposed legislation would make this "much clearer". [...] [T]he government is set to place people's right to defend their property, long present in common law, in statute law. "It's quite obvious that people are entitled to use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves and their homes," Mr Clarke said.

Mr Clarke accepted that the defence of reasonable force already exists, but said: "Given that doubts are expressed, we are going to clarify that. "It is quite obvious that people are entitled to use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves and their homes.

Mr Clarke has come under attack over proposed changes to sentencing policy, but has denied making a series of U-turns on key elements amid pressure from Tory MPs and sections of the media. He has said he is committed to axing indeterminate prison sentences, despite opposition from many Tory MPs.

He said indeterminate sentences - where prisoners can be held beyond their original release date if they still pose a danger to society - had been an "unmitigated disaster" since they had been introduced by Tony Blair and suggested an alternative to them would be in place within two years.

Controversial sentencing reforms were passed by MPs last night, despite claims they will allow thousands of criminals to go free. Kenneth Clarke’s cost-cutting Justice Bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle by 295 votes to 212, despite opposition from Labour and some Tory Right-wingers.

Among the reforms sought by Mr Clarke is the scrapping of indeterminate sentences, under which prisoners are not released until they are deemed safe. Mr Clarke said they ‘had been discredited’ and insisted it would be better to give serious criminals long, fixed sentences. The Bill passed last night provides for a review of indeterminate sentencing. But former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw said indeterminate sentences were ‘spectacularly successful’.