MANCHESTER,ENGLAND - A homeowner was arrested and could face a life sentence after a burglar plunged from the balcony of his house in a suburb of the English city of Manchester.
The intruder suffered head injuries and died in hospital after falling around 30ft from the third floor window on to a concrete path.
Patrick Walsh, 56, awoke to find an intruder in his flat on Corkland Road in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, south Manchester.
"Following an exchange of words" the 43-year-old suspect fell from the third floor window on to the pavement below,police said
He suffered massive injuries from the fall, at around 6.10am on Monday,August 6.
The man was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary with serious head injuries before being transferred to Hope Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 11am.
Police conducted a detailed forensic examination of the flat after the incident.
Walsh was arrested on suspicion of causing serious bodily harm and bailed until November pending further police inquirers.
"My client is not at liberty to say anything because he is under police bail.However we appreciate that the public view might be that this is a man arrested in his own home defending his own property ",Walsh's lawyer, Victor Wozny, said
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said, "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident.A 56-year-old man from Chorlton has been arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and bailed, pending further inquiries."
It is believed the intruder then smashed the window and clambered out on to a narrow ledge and fell to the ground.
Walsh phoned police and at around 6.30am officers found the man on the ground outside the smart Victorian apartment block in Chorlton-cum-Hardy,
He was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.Officers arrested Walsh on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and are trying to establish whether the intruder was forced out of the window.
The arrest is expected to fuel arguments about the rights of householders in UK to defend themselves against burglars.
"Police arrived in what seemed to be minutes and were there for the whole day.It's shocking to find out what has happened but people shouldn't break into other people's houses," a neighbour said.
Another resident said: "I presume we will have to respect the burglar's rights while his victim has the nightmare of court hanging over his head. It all seems so unfair."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said they had been called following reports that an intruder had fallen from a top-floor flat.
"Following an exchange of words, the alleged burglar was found unconscious on the pavement outside the flat,"police said.
Mr Walsh has been released on bail until November. If charged and convicted he could face a life sentence.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/
3 comments:
This really baffles me. How can a man face life in prison following someone else breaking into his home and falling to his death?
I appreciate that the 'exchange' between the perpetrator and the resident will not get resolved easily. It may even be that the resident used physical force to remove the burglar from his home. At any rate the resident did not invite the burglar into his home and the burglar had no right to be there.
I don't think the burglar should have died, I would be very reluctant to pull out the artillery and start shooting away. However, this is the burglar's doing. It is through his actions that these circumstances came into being. If it hadn't been for him entering the home, the fatal chain of events would not have occurred. Whatever else can be debated no reasonable person could argue against the fact that it was the burglar who set in motion the events that would lead to his own demise.
If it turned out that the resident used physical force to remove the burglar from his home he should at the most receive a probationary sentence. If it has come to the point where the burglar can commit a crime and make the victim pay for any damages he [the burglar] suffers, then the resident is no less than 3 times the victim: once of the cime itself, the second time from society laying the blame at his feet and the last time for having to compensate the perpetrator.
Does that not seem the least bit harsh? The criminal has more rights than the victim. When did that happen?
He was arrested and subsequently released without charge and no further action will be taken against him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6941189.stm
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