Girl fined for fighting back at masked man

To quote The Count in that movie Pirate Radio:

"I'm an American citizen and I don't give a hootenanny God damn about your nitpicking limey laws"

I'm sure when most Americans watch a taxpayer-funded, CBS-produced spot on one of the networks that tell us England is a great friend and ally to the United States they stand and salute, but not me. Truth be told the world be damned, the Court(-esans) and laws be damned.

Here at my house in New Hampshire I am the law. Anyone (and I mean ANYONE) shows up on my doorstep threatening me or mine, and I'll show you which Constitutional amendment is my favorite. My bullet-riddled body might not disagree with it, but I kind of take that whole "live free or die" sentiment seriously.

reply to post by WatchRider


From the article:

However, she went too far by continuing to kick her attacker on the head even after he was knocked unconscious.

Although I agree that for quite some time now, we've been seeing a continued effort to criminalize self-defense by TPTB, this doesn't exactly strike me as one of those cases.

Sheriff Donald Muirhead told Burleigh she was entitled to hit Docherty to protect herself. But he added: "You lost control. You kept on kicking him when there was no longer any need."

Yes, there is such a thing as "excessive force".

The title of this thread is misleading, because she was not fined for "fighting back".

Originally posted by Shamatt
It's a question of reasonable force. Once the guy is unconcious on the ground he is no longer a threat - is it therefore reasonable to continue kicking him in the head and face, causing him serious injuries? He may have deserved it in our minds, but the line needs drawing somewhere. Are we to return to a vigilante society where we doll out our own punishments to those who we feel deserve it?

it depends what role "WE" are playing, seriously put yourself in the shoes.

Touch my girls....you gonna get hurt. end of story.

Originally posted by WatchRider

Originally posted by Soshh

Originally posted by WatchRider
Spare a thought for 'prison-island' UK were you CANNOT defend yourself against an attacker!!!!

You can use reasonable and proportionate force to defend yourself. People do this every day with no problems and she would not have been fined if she had not used unnecessary force.

Now show me EXACTLY where reasonable force begins and defensive force to prevent an attacker hurting you ends?

It's this stupid wording and mis-speak from the law-givers that gives the criminals such lee-way to run amok!
All sucked up and defended by the brainwashed masses who can't think for themselves.

Reasonable force is the level of force required to protect you or others from an unlawful application of force in any given situation, as the situation is judged to have been perceived by the individual at the time. It is a deliberately ambiguous term because it is based upon the circumstances of each case. Self defence revolves around immediate objective requirement and reasonable force ends when the force used isn’t absolutely necessary as far as self defence is concerned.

In this case, reasonable force ended when the 'attacker' was lying prone and motionless on the floor; reasonable force was the amount of force required to produce this effect. Once it has been put beyond all reasonable doubt that an 'attacker' has been rendered harmless, any subsequent use of force is unnecessary and therefore an 'unreasonable' application of force.

Does that answer your question?

Originally posted by Seiko
I read the article and I am to understand she is being fined for 'going to far" more or less. After the attacker was unconscious she continued to kick his face.

If you've ever read Ender's Game you might understand the basic instinctual reasoning that happens here. She was frightened and very upset, she was attacked. She wanted to make sure he never attacked her again. The situation was created by the attacker, not her.

I find her actions to be validated, but I am not a judge. If on a jury I couldn't in any way find her guilty.

Definitely agree.
I am pretty sure, as a woman, if attacked in such a frightening manner..I would not stop beating until someone physically pulled me off. It is scary, but true. I know how I get when frightened..a huge adrenaline rush. I would be too afraid to STOP kicking the guy for fear he would miraculously revive and attack me again!

In America,with a good enough public defender,all she needs to do is say

All I have to say is

I see mass revolutions in many many countries in my lifetime

Death to these leaders of the world

Originally posted by AshleyD
Notice how everyone in this thread is OUTRAGED by this travesty of justice.

No, definitely not everyone.

Besides, there isn't justice in numbers.

Originally posted by buddha
So! she should have let him attack her.
drag her in to her house.
LET him rape her, then rob her.
then call the police.
BUT Rape is not a crime any more....

So Nothing will be done about him!
and ALL the criminals will now know
they are untouchable..

WTF?? r u serious?? YOU SICK (*expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive) piece of (expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive)
Get the (expletive) off this site you (expletive)

Originally posted by grindhouzer

Originally posted by buddha
So! she should have let him attack her.
drag her in to her house.
LET him rape her, then rob her.
then call the police.
BUT Rape is not a crime any more....

So Nothing will be done about him!
and ALL the criminals will now know
they are untouchable..

WTF?? r u serious?? YOU SICK (*expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive) piece of (expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive)
Get the (expletive) off this site you (expletive)

umm... Im pretty sure he was being sarcastic?? Making a joke of the absurdity of what the police wanted her to do.

Someone has issues

I don't think we know the full details here. The woman was not alone but walking home with her boyfriend. That little nugget seems to be glossed over in the article. I would like to know what the boyfriend was doing during this time? Something doe not smell right.

Im sure ALL the details werent posted...for some reason

We have serious problems on the horizon when its starts becoming illegal to start defending yourself. Feels like we have stepped into bizzaro world or something.

SF Sounds similar to an incedent where me and my family was attacked by a bunch of thugs during a fathers day cook out, where I ended up kicking their buts in my parents yard. One of them hit me on the head with a gun and ran. We called the cops and I was arrested and fined for defending myself and mind you I am totally night blind as well as legally blind. Police state anyone?

Again, what's with all this liberal utopia horse droppings? What do they tell you yanks about Britain? Oh yeah I forgot, you're all still scared to death by cold war propaganda about commie socialists liberal progressive blah blah blah... (Exagerations, generalizations and stereotypes intended, it's how you roll over the pond, yeah?)

There are many problems with the Uk legal system. They are not all symptoms of it being a 'Liberal Utopia', because it isn't one, has never been, and is unlikely to be in the near future. It's just a different flavour of half baked NWO.

Now personally, and bare in mind I'm one of these commie socialist utopians, I think her mistake was involving the police. Even in the heat of the moment she should have understood that what she did was (****legally speaking****) excessive. Calling the police was (assuming it was her who called) foolish and weak.

this is straight absurd. come on uk, who the f is making the rules over there? youre not a proper society if this is allowed. fine the victim of what was likely intended to be at least a sexual assault? get real. throw that idiot sheriff into the north atlantic and take care of your citizens for f sake. my advice to ladies in this situation is if youre fortunate enough to get your masked attacker down, keep kicking him in the head until the police arrive. and make sure you get his junk too. rules should not force people to accept becoming victims. BAD RULE.

Here in the MidWest U.S.A. my 17 yr old son was attacked by 2 upper 40 year old guys. My boy was drunk, wrong yes I know, but as he was getting his ass kicked, he did what only he could think of and pulled a knife to defend himself. It has a total length of like 3 inches. Yes seriously. He took it out to flash hoping his assailants would stop their onslaught, but they did not stop so he stuck the nearest in the thigh. Pounding continued and when the stuck guy grabbed my son in a headlock and was strangling him, he swung the blade into the lower back of the Older Guy. My son did 6 months in jail and NOTHING happened to the others !!! I think that's because it's Who They Knew, and Who They Blew.
So I do believe this story. This # happens all the time because our 'Justice' System is so Fu C K ed UP !!! And apparently theirs is too. !!!
This kind of thing really pisses me off !!!!!!
Thanx for checking out this Reply, Later, Syx.

However, she went too far by continuing to kick her attacker on the head even after he was knocked unconscious.

How on earth did she only get away with a £500 fine ?

I'm shocked that the police didn't charge her with attempted murder.

Regardless of what happened previously, someone who is unconscious has clearly been physically incapacitated. Still, let's just kick some immobolised person in the head, possibly causing death or brain damage.

reply to post by metaldave


You better believe it. In the UK, if a burglar gets hurt while trying to break into your house, he/she can sue you. There's just one example. Anyway, looking forward to some proper demonstrations soon!

reply to post by Rockdisjoint


understandable? im sorry but you sir are a complete moron!! i just clicked on this link fresh from the egyption teacher hitting kids and your comment there was just as shocking, are you here to wind people up? complete tosser!