BRITAIN IS A DANGEROUS PLACE FOR HAVE-A-GO HEROES
DILEMMA: Should we turn a blind eye to thugs or step in and help?
By Frederick Forsyth
FOLLOWING the beating to death in Norwich of Frank McGarahan, the old argument has been revived again: have a go or mind your own business and walk on by?
Some ministers say one thing, others the reverse.
The same applies to senior police spokesmen. But what no one does is point to the long list of law-abiding, tax-paying people who, driven finally by constant thuggery and official apathy to utter despair, hit out and end up being treated like Jack The Ripper.
Let me postulate a horribly feasible scenario. Like Mr McGarahan, you are coming home perfectly sober from a meeting with friends. Like him, you see a couple of snarling thugs setting about a cowering pedestrian.
The victim may be a homeless Lithuanian (as in Norwich) or a woman clinging to her precious handbag, or a girl fearful of being raped, or a householder asking for peace and quiet. (All these have been victims over the past couple of years).
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You are up against two street yobs who are swearing that you launched an unprovoked assault.
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Does anyone in authority honestly think you are going to stand there saying: “I am performing a citizen’s arrest upon you both and I require you to stand still until the arrival of the police, whom I am now calling on my mobile?” Only if you really want to die, for the thugs will have hours before the fuzz arrive from their form-filling.
So you “have a go”. Let us suppose you are a bit useful with the dukes; you land a haymaker on Thug One and down he goes. Black eye, sore jaw, whatever.
And round the corner come 10 of the bold gendarmes. They find Thug One in the gutter counting stars and you standing over him with a grazed right fist. Now you are really in trouble.
In politically correct modern Britain you will certainly be clapped in irons, whisked off to Form-Filling Central and slung in a cell. Thug One will be assisted to an ambulance and thence to hospital. The person you tried to save seems to have done a runner.
Let me cut it short. Charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, you are up against two street yobs who are swearing that you launched an unprovoked assault. Your full name and address will, as of right, be given to them. If their mates don’t go round and terrorise your family, or even torch the place, you will be damned lucky.
You have assets so you will not get legal aid. For a year the stress of the pending trial will make your life a misery. The thugs will be handed leaflets on post-trauma therapy; you will get offers of counselling in anger management.
At your trial, which has so far cost you £10,000 in defence lawyer fees, you will be lectured by a judge who lives in leafy suburbia on the gross irresponsibility of taking the law into your own hands. (I tell no lies; this has happened over and again). If the jury acquits you, you leave the court a free man; but probably a shattered one. Job gone, savings gone, home vandalised. You think it’s over? No chance.
Under the new “no win, no fee” lawyer system, some ambulance chaser will offer his services to Thug One for free. I mean the civil suit against you for damages. There is up to £100,000 waving in the wind for a black eye.
Of course, you will have to pay your own defence; there is no chance of a fee for defending someone in a civil tribunal. It’s a share of the damages award the ambulance chaser is after.
When the second (civil) trial is over, you are well and truly bankrupt for life. Still, you did the right thing. Such a pity the authorities treated you like a criminal and the thug like a victim.
We Brits would not be so frightened of the street thugs if we knew we had the total support of the authorities. But we do not. In our Brave New World the authorities persecute us as much as the yobs.
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NOTHING WRONG WITH CAPITALISM
12.10.08, 9:10am
I tell you what Forsyth I,ve read some crap in my time but your article about nothing wrong with capitalism just about fills the pan.Nothing wrong hey Fred,tell that to the poor bastards who put their trust and hard earned money in banks and institutions run by your tory fat cat mates not one of whom has had the balls to come on television and say Sorry folks I made a complete bugger up,and even in that bastion of free enterprise the USA it took a congressional commitee to force one of these towrags to come and say he was sorry ,Oh and I forgot this was after trousering $350,000,000 the previous year.Perhaps it is time we had something similar here.What say you Fred?
• Posted by: bootty • Report Comment
MEMORIES
11.10.08, 2:12pm
MEMORIES
The older generation, of which I am a member, remember the times when England was indeed a green and pleasant land, where law and order was strictly adhered to, Constables were not having to spend their time on administrative paper work, prisons were proper punishment centres, schools were properly disciplined, any misbehaviour by pupils was immediately dealt with by corporal punishment, such as a slap with a cane, Parents were responsible for their children’s behaviour, Mum saying, “I’ll tell Dad if you don’t behave”. That was enough warning to ensure you behaved! . There was no such thing as, “Political correctness” which is an absurdity, let common sense prevail.
We had laws that protected us, not stupid laws that protect the guilty, and punish the innocent!
Eleven years of a Labour Government as brought us to the condition we now have to live with, their incompetence in protecting our way of life is deplorable, lets hope our next Government will have the guts and determination to overcome our many problems for the sake of our children, and the Nation. It’ll be a mammoth task. I dare not think of failure.
• Posted by: jackl • Report Comment
MEMORIES
11.10.08, 2:12pm
MEMORIES
The older generation, of which I am a member, remember the times when England was indeed a green and pleasant land, where law and order was strictly adhered to, Constables were not having to spend their time on administrative paper work, prisons were proper punishment centres, schools were properly disciplined, any misbehaviour by pupils was immediately dealt with by corporal punishment, such as a slap with a cane, Parents were responsible for their children’s behaviour, Mum saying, “I’ll tell Dad if you don’t behave”. That was enough warning to ensure you behaved! . There was no such thing as, “Political correctness” which is an absurdity, let common sense prevail.
We had laws that protected us, not stupid laws that protect the guilty, and punish the innocent!
Eleven years of a Labour Government as brought us to the condition we now have to live with, their incompetence in protecting our way of life is deplorable, lets hope our next Government will have the guts and determination to overcome our many problems for the sake of our children, and the Nation. It’ll be a mammoth task. I dare not think of failure.
• Posted by: jackl • Report Comment
THE TRUTH
10.10.08, 10:55pm
my ex husband had a go with thugs who pushed his 80yr old mother , they sent a further 40 thugs around to our house they where let off my ex husband got 18mths 6 mths suspended, which changed him and ending up in divorce, he had never been in prison before. so if they dont manage to kill you, you end up in prison.
• Posted by: allout • Report Comment
THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND
10.10.08, 7:07pm
someone once said " IF THINE EYES OFFEND YOU, THEN PLUCK THEM OUT" does this also apply to people!
• Posted by: fusilier • Report Comment
OH SO TRUE....
10.10.08, 6:49pm
only a couple of weeks ago it was said that the brits were the least likely to help someone in need in the street. No wonder why....if the people had back up from the authorities there would no doubt be more people willing to help.
• Posted by: cocklesandeels • Report Comment
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