MIKE
WEATHERLEY PUTS VICTIMS FIRST
Tony
Blair told us he would be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.
He has failed on both counts. In
Brighton and Hove the clear up rate for burglary is just 12% meaning
7 out of 8 burglars are never
brought to justice. Sexual
offences in Brighton and Hove have risen by 36%. Add this to the fact if a
burglar breaks in, attacks you and you defend yourself, you can find yourself in
the dock, is it any wonder that criminals now regard robbing people’s
homes as a ‘virtually risk free’ activity.
Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton
Pavilion, is supporting the Private Members Bill to be brought in by Patrick
Mercer the MP for Newark. The
Householder Protection Bill has been drawn up after extensive consultation with
the legal profession on all aspects of its introduction and implementation. It
also has the backing of Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
The amended law will not allow a free-for-all but will rebalance justice
in favour of the victim.
Mike said: “It's the first duty of
government - any government - to protect the public.
Yet under this Labour Government crime has soared.
There can be no freedom without security.
“Enough is enough. My
concern, my sympathy, my action are for the victim - not the criminal.
The fear of imprisonment or physical harm should lie with the intruder
not the homeowner. The law must be on the side of the victim, not the burglar.
Thanks to Mr Blair, criminals now have a better chance of
committing a crime and getting away with it than at any time for the last 25
years.
With the 906 extra police officers on the beat in Sussex and
enshrining in law the true rights of homeowners, people in Brighton and Hove
will be more able to go about their lives free from fear.”
Notes:
The change in the law would be achieved by means of an amendment to S3
of the Criminal Law Act 1967.
New Clause 3 (1) (a): "Where a person uses force, in the prevention of
crime or in the defence of persons or property, against another who has entered
or is attempting to enter any building unlawfully as a trespasser, he shall not
be guilty of any offence in respect of the use of that force unless (a) the
degree of force was grossly disproportionate and (b) this was or ought to have
been apparent to the person using such force."
New Clause 3 (1) (b): "No prosecution shall be brought against a
person subject to 3 (1) (a) without leave of the Attorney General."