Father tackles teen he thought was breaking into his house. Police arrive and arrest the father for assault.

**Terminator** · 11-05-07, 01:27 PM

A dad grabbed a drunken teenager he thought was trying to break into his home, handed him to police – and was arrested.
Now Mark Goldberg fears he could lose his Ministry of Defence job if he is prosecuted.
The head chef, who has children aged five and 15, heard a noise at the window of his townhouse at around 10.30pm. He opened the curtains and spotted the yob teetering on the window ledge.
Mark, 38, said: “He must have jumped over railings and climbed up a drainpipe. But when I went out he tried to say he was looking for someone.”
While his wife called police in Gravesend, Kent, Mark grappled with the teenager – who may have been attending a nearby party.
He managed to flee but Mark chased him and marched him back to waiting cops. To his amazement they arrested HIM for assault.
He said: “The police said the guy had a fat lip. We did tussle and fall to the ground but I didn’t hit him. He’s just making up stories and they believe him, not me. They threw me in a cell for 15 hours.”
Mark has been told he must return to the police station on December 6. He is the latest in a string of householders to be arrested trying to protect their homes and property.
Mark said: “This country has gone barmy. You can’t even protect your own family in your own home any more.”
A police spokesman said: “Our investigations continue.”

Even crazier than that....what does "barmy" mean?

**Ducky** · 11-05-07, 01:34 PM

It means 'nuts', and in a few cases could mean "like the USofA's legal system"

That really is stupid though, I'd like to see more Castle Doctrine go into effect.

**PapaBear** · 11-05-07, 02:37 PM

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms Adj.

1. barmy - marked by spirited enjoyment
zestful, zesty, yeasty
spirited - displaying animation, vigor, or liveliness

2. barmy - informal or slang terms for mentally irregular; "it used to drive my husband balmy"
around the bend, balmy, bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, crackers, daft, dotty, haywire, kookie, kooky, loco, loony, nuts, round the bend, wacky, whacky, nutty, loopy, fruity, cracked
insane - afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement; "was declared insane"; "insane laughter"

**Star Man** · 11-05-07, 03:15 PM

Sounds like BS if you ask me. There has to be more to it. I would be interested to see how bad this lip really looked. Was the kid a bloody mess? If so maybe a rookie cop got it mixed up, but loitering and prowling is still a crime and the father should be off the hook.

.

**HotTamale** · 11-05-07, 03:22 PM

Anyone comes to my house, they better believe they will get what is comming to them, I will not allow my fiance and myself be put in any danger.

Just my .02.

**Wolven** · 11-05-07, 03:25 PM

That is just crazy....the damn kid is lucky all he got was a fat lip.

**hush29** · 11-05-07, 03:27 PM

Sounds like the parent should've picked the kid up after tackling him and chokeslamming him back to the ground. Make it worth going to jail. Hell, maybe that's what he did and the story fails to tell it.

**Willowdared** · 11-05-07, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Ducky

It means 'nuts', and in a few cases could mean "like the USofA's legal system"

That really is stupid though, I'd like to see more Castle Doctrine go into effect.

Looks like it happened in England.

**Ducky** · 11-05-07, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by PDawg

Looks like it happened in England.

Yeah, it happened over the pond, but the sentiment still holds. You're not allowed to defend yourself or your home, and that's just pathetic.

**MacLean** · 11-05-07, 04:12 PM

I knew this was England before moving past the headline.

"Self defense" and "castle doctrine" are long gone there and on their way out in Canada and Australia.

Only us backward folk still think it's ok to look after yourself.

**Rhino** · 11-05-07, 04:41 PM

Anyone seen Mr. Woodcock? I'm reminded of the scene where he hits Stifler over and over again with a bat because he thought he was a burglar.

"What about when I said 'Stop, stop! It's me, John?'"
"John's a very common name. You could have been a burglar named John."

**Kpdpipes** · 11-05-07, 05:56 PM

No offense to our Imperial Bretheren that come here, but England makes the US look like it's POPULATED with Sheepdogs. Unfortunately this isnt anything new When I was over there in 1985 with CAP's exchange program, one of our host family's kids was attacked by some Punk Skinhead-type, the Constables didnt seem to care about anything opther than ensuring that the VICTIM didnt do anything like fight back. Ever since the "Danger to Burglars" Verdict a few years back, i've pretty much decided that England has begun the slide down the Slope to the ash heap of history much like the Roman Empire..Hopefully Scotland will manage to cut the ties before it is dragged away as well.