Quote:
Originally Posted by Ithekro
If I recall, some man in England was sentanced to jail for defending himself with a gun in his own home. He got more time than the thief.
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That was Tony Martin, but he did more than just defend himself. He noticed 2 burglars in his house and chased them with a shotgun. They were unarmed and Martin shot them in the back while they fled, killing one who turned out to be underage.
Martin was convicted for manslaughter and possession of an illegal weapon which resulted in a 5 year conviction. The surviving burglar got convicted for burglary and was sentenced to 3 years.
There was a bit of a mess with early paroles after.
There was no self defense case as Martin used excessive force on a fleeing unarmed opponent. Martin was lucky to get off with a reduced sentence on appeal, due to a psychological condition. He was initially charged with murder and could have received a life sentence.