Headline news here today - Gentleman was leaving a supermarket and was approached by 4 young thugs who demanded his groceries, wallet, and car keys. Gentleman objected, whereupon thugs started to beat him up, until another motorist yelled that he was calling the police. Thugs took off with groceries in their stolen car. Enraged gentleman followed and rammed them, but not sufficiently to stop them. He stopped at a petrol station to call the police, and then saw thugs at another supermarket carpark, so Gentleman rammed them from the other side, rendering thugs' car undriveable. Thugs fled on foot, but were rounded up forthwith by police dogs, and are now in custody.
Newspaper photos indicate that he certainly knew how to ram. Quoth the Gentleman at interview [ and with apologies to the swear filter ] " Although they hurt me, I was so furious that I wasn't going to let the b's get away with it".
|
Can you post a link? Fascinating legal implications! Ramming them once might be justified, but a second time and at another location might be a bit iffy - what does the everwise DVD think?
|
www.nzherald.co.nz Look for :victim rams muggers getaway car. Slight change of detail from earlier news, but the main interest is still the same.
|
|
good for him I say! what sort of Toyota was he driving that would inflict that level of damage and still be drivable though? must have been a big one.
|
Try explaining that on an insurance claim!
"what sort of Toyota was he driving that would inflict that level of damage and still be drivable"
Have you not seen the Top Gear HiLux series?
Edited by oldnotbold on 13/03/2008 at 10:32
|
AAAAH! New Zealand! No chance of this man/victim being charged with causing criminal damage, no misguided PC carp, just a common sense way of dealing with criminal chavs. I wish I was young enough to re-locate! I am also bothered to see that 44 years old is 'older' in NZ parlance!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 13/03/2008 at 10:40
|
|
|
|
It was a bit rough on the owner of the stolen Subaru!
|
|
Tomo - what would you rather have? a car that's been returned after being thrashed by four teenagers or a nice cheque from your insurers for another one?
|
Don't they have insurance (3rd party) provided by the state in NZ?
They would hopefully pay out to both, saves money on a man-hunt.
|
|
Its reminded me of a time when they filmed a Crimewatch episode at least 10 years ago, and it was of an armed robbery on a security van, and a van driver saw them making off on a motorbike after apparently shooting a security guard and knocked them off the bike with his van.
|
|
|
|
He obviously judged his ramming angle & speed to a nicety: disabled the car without injury to occupants. I would like to think that even in this country, such a finely judged citizen's arrest would attract only praise, not some CPS juggling to find a way to prosecute. Maybe he was an ex-Rugby player displaying his fine rucking skills, although entry from the side would attract a penalty from the more pernickety referee.
|
If it´s one car on another, surely the ruck hasn´t yet formed? That would be the case in one of those multiple police car pile-ups. Tackle laws would apply :-)
Possible offside though.
Edited by barchettaman on 13/03/2008 at 11:23
|
|
Very good technical point BM. My take was that the collection of robbers in the car could represent the ruck (as 3 or more players contesting possession) , with the first 'ram' (by enraged driver) as the initial tackle, the second ram then interpreted as 'ruck formed' with a joyous 'turnover' ball resulting.
|
|
Good on him. If that had been done in the UK. The man would be looking at a jail sentence for endangering the to-rags life?s. Just goes to show how the laws in this country are mad.
|
I agree - its refreshing to see someone have a go - its like putting the boot in in reverse ( if you see what I mean)
It must be something in the water in the antipodes because it rather reminded me of this story of the 83 year old Aussie lady - do not read if you are squeamish chaps........
www.freerepublic.com/forum/a399af6f52bd2.htm
|
|
helicopter - seems fair enough to me. can you imagine the cops here saying 'we're not sure what to do with her....'?
|
bummer:
>>
But not much of a surprise. The fictitious Aussie granny was spouting American hillbilly talk, very unconvincing indeed. So the email didn't come from Australia.
|
According to the date on the paper this isn't scheduled to happen until tommorrow! ;-)
|
|
Its already tomorrow their time Billy .....different time zone old chap
|
As a one-time resident of 'Godzone' I hate to disappoint you all, but I'm afraid PC is alive and well in NZ (especially in relation to Maori/Pacific Islanders), although perhaps not rigidly enforced in the more remote areas.
You might also be interested to know that the per capita murder rate is about four times higher than that of the UK. Kiwi's also take great pride in levels of road rage encountered in their country (and there are speed traps etc., and all the other hazards of 21st century motoring). Its no motoring Utopia.
|
|
But for a UK motoring discussion board, the grass is always greener..... ;-)
|
I have to confirm Dr Duffy's comments about N.Z. driving abilities { ??? } As I have mentioned in other threads where the difficulties of driving in Naples is spoken of, I found Naples just like Auckland, and therefore no difficulty at all.
Going slightly off-topic, we have been governed for the past 9 years by a gang of social engineers, which has resulted in the police and judiciary falling way down the totem pole of trustworthyness in the eyes of the general public. In a couple of recent cases, the jury has thrown out charges that, in earlier times would have resulted in conviction. Interrogation of the jury is contempt of court here, but the consensus of opinion is that the juries didn't trust the judges to take proper account of the strong mitigating circumstances. Whilst the purists howled for abolition of jury trials, the great majority of us felt that the results were just despite the legalities.
It will be interesting to see whether the police will bring charges against the rammer in this case, as they could go before a jury. No mention so far.
|
|
|
|
|
|
