Police & Courts Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News. Mark Buttler and Andrew Rule with the latest crime buzz.
Do ya feel lucky, punk? Surely it can’t be long before one of Melbourne’s army of young thugs picks the wrong victim and comes to serious grief. There have been a couple of prime cases recently where crims with gangster delusions have found themselves way out of their depth when confronted by a tooled-up response. One prolific teenage car thief in the south-east was lucky not to become a statistic himself not so long ago.
A vigilant homeowner found the young thief about to drive away in his luxury car, a situation the owner found unacceptable. The burglar spent a short but frightening period with a knife at his throat before being let go, presumably never to return. There was another example at a Flemington tobacco store where the operator had been under serious standover threat.
When an intruder broke into his store, the businessman was waiting with an axe. A big, strong fellow, he dragged the cowering culprit out of the store and threatened to go full Jack O’Toole on him. Unfortunately, somebody came back on Monday morning and tried to set fire to the Racecourse Rd shop, which could have had fatal consequences.
So, how long before the old defence of self-defence gets another workout in our courts? It has certainly been used with considerable success over many decades and could be wheeled out again .