Broken Britain Part V

As part of an occasional (and very depressing) feature of this blog, I post some story or other that seems to illustrate all that's gone wrong in the UK.

This latest post concerns a story that the BBC web site seems to have missed (odd considering that fact that their radio stations are leading with it). It concerns a kidnap victim, Mr Hussain, who managed to escape and with his brother capture one of his kidnappers Walid Salem (who has 50 past convictions), giving him something of a beating in the process. It is this beating that is at the heart of the issue, as the 'victim' is said to have been brain damaged by it.

Munir Hussain, chairman of the Asian Business Council, was praised by a judge for his “courage” in defending his wife and three children from an attack — but was then jailed for the violence of his response. One of his kidnappers was spared a jail sentence.

The judge told them: "It may be that some members of the public, or media commentators, will assert that the man Salem deserved what happened to him at the hands of you and the two others involved, and that you should not have been prosecuted and need not be punished.

If persons were permitted to take the law into their own hands and inflict their own instant and violent punishment on an apprehended offender rather than letting justice take its course, then the rule of law and our system of criminal justice, which are the hallmarks of a civilised society, would collapse.”

Regardless of whether Mr Hussain and his brother went too far or not in this instance, and I think 30 and 39 months far too long, I still think the judge has completely missed the point ....... a 'civilised society' is where the citizens are confident that the law works to protect them and their families. Where the police turn out and capture criminals, and the courts will administer a form of justice that is seen to be fair by the victims.

That has gone in the UK, and a 'civilised society' has collapsed under a 'liberal', criminal rights orientated law and order system, which offers a revolving door justice system, in which the system is as liable to prosecute the victim as the criminal.

The 'brain damaged' criminal is now in police custody again, after being charged on suspicion of credit card fraud.

The judge in this case Judge Reddihough should take a moment to consider whether the 'damage' Mr Salem is said to have suffered was anything like as bad as the defence suggested, if he was able to apparently continue his criminal career immediately after Mr Husain was convicted.

Mr Hussain and his brother have appealed.