Motoring Discussion > Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage Miscellaneous
Thread Author: VxFan Replies: 17

 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - VxFan
Can't find any previous mention of this on here. It's been covered by the media before though.

A farmer who used a telehandler to pick up a car and dump it in a road to defend his property has been cleared of dangerous driving and criminal damage.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-60260155

Robert Hooper, 57, had told Durham Crown Court he felt "frightened and threatened" when he took the action.

He had argued an "Englishman's home is his castle", and he had been assaulted before he used his vehicle to remove the Corsa in County Durham last June.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - smokie
I watched the video earlier and I was surprised he got off completely though he had a reasonably strong defence I suppose.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - CGNorwich
Did the public a favour keeping a drunken driver off the road.

“Mr Burns, who had been drinking with friends, said he was intending to walk 52 miles back to South Tyneside.”
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - martin aston
I have only read the tabloid press on this. However it’s significant that it was a jury trial. Like the one week or two back (Extinction Rebellion as I recall) the jury have taken a particular view and let him off. I am sure plod will continue to advise against moving an obstructing vehicle and causing damage.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Terry
I can understand why police and courts want to discourage folk taking the law into their own hands - it minimises the risk of any dispute escalating into disproportionate violence.

It would be a more sustainable policy if the police actually responded quickly to any problems and dealt with offenders appropriately.

Getting the police to do anything in a reasonable timeframe (go to obstructing vehicle, remove it, fine the miscreant for the costs of removal and inconvenience) is currently wishful thinking.

No wonder some folk decide to sort things out for themselves.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Fullchat
Not forgetting that law can also prevent a timely remedy. If the car was on private land then it becomes a civil matter so Police hands tied.

Strangely enough was at that very place last week during a visit to Middleton in Teesdale along with Low and High Force.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 6 Feb 22 at 11:30
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - zippy
>> Not forgetting that law can also prevent a timely remedy. If the car was on
>> private land then it becomes a civil matter so Police hands tied.

Playing devils advocate here…

Park a vehicle across the entrance to a police station car park and see how long the police treat it as a civil matter.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Fullchat
You are leaking again.

As a private entity the same rules would apply to the Police as the farmer to remove the obstruction. If it was parked on a public road then an Obstruction offence with the powers that come with it could be invoked.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Duncan
>> Getting the police to do anything in a reasonable timeframe (go to obstructing vehicle, remove
>> it, fine the miscreant for the costs of removal and inconvenience) is currently wishful thinking.

This all hinges on the shortage of competant police officers.

The days when the police service was seen as a good job and the police could choose good quality recruits to a well paid job are over.

Hence we get lower (lower, not low) quality recruits who are rushed off their feet. If you are copper who's done 26 years, you are going to hang on for the pension. Which can lead to the various crimes carried out by police officers that we have heard about recently.

As ye sow, so shall ye reap.

My gran used to say that - very irritating.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Bromptonaut
>> This all hinges on the shortage of competant police officers.

A lot of this stuff never gets to a warranted officer.

Police call handlers, whether by training or habit, will act as gatekeepers and do their best to filter out anything they perceive as 'civil'.

Probably 20years ago my kids were rehearsing with a community youth band in the local Sports Centre. Older youths in their mid/late teens were in and out of the building engaging in various forms of disruptive and anti-social behaviour. Northants Police refused to do anything as (a) it was on private premises and 'civil' and (b) when I pushed it I wasn't the owner/controller of the building.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Fullchat
“Mr Burns, who had been drinking with friends, said he was intending to walk 52 miles back to South Tyneside.”

Any credibility as a witness just disappeared at that point. (If he had any)
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 6 Feb 22 at 11:29
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Lygonos
Indeed, although the car apparently had been parked where it was after suffering a double puncture (presumably caused by being driven like a tool).
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Terry
I like Zippys suggestion of putting a car across the entrance to the police station car park - but this may be regarded as a public (not private) place over which they have authority.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Zero
As soon as he dumped the car on the road, he was right to be nicked, and the jury should have done him.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Bromptonaut
>> As soon as he dumped the car on the road, he was right to be
>> nicked, and the jury should have done him.

But they didn't.

Like the Colston statue it could have been because the prosecution made their case lamely, the Judge's directions were lacking or the jury returned a perverse decision because it seemed right to them.

As research involving jurors is illegal we'll never know.

I wonder whether a lay bench of locals would have acquitted if he'd not elected for Crown Court.

A legally qualified District Judge (ie a Stipendiary Magistrate) would very probably have convicted.

I don't think the Attorney General will be considering a reference to the Court of Appeal as she did with Colston :-P
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 6 Feb 22 at 17:44
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Zero
>> >> As soon as he dumped the car on the road, he was right to
>> be
>> >> nicked, and the jury should have done him.
>>
>> But they didn't.

Because as far as I know the drunk yob was nicked for nothing - not even threatening behaviour or public disorder, and the gen pop have almost completely lost faith with the police.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Terry
It is no surprise that trust in the police is very low:

They will not intervene when there is obvious public disorder. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the Colston case, they simply stood by whilst chaos ruled. They did similarly during the anti-vax and anti lockdown Covid demonstrations.

The apparent rights of the wrong doer in this case (drunk, dumped car etc) were allowed to prevail over the rights of the innocent and inconvenienced

The police priority should be to protect the innocent public from wrong doing of others. A failure to do so may arise from:

- a lack of resources to actually enforce the law, or
- a judgement that the consequences of "do nothing" is better than "do something", or
- the rights of the individual exceed the rights and expectations of the community

IMHO none of these are an acceptable explanation.
 Car-flip farmer cleared of criminal damage - Robin O'Reliant
The police are too busy investigating fifty year old alleged crimes by dead DJs and giving "Advice" to people who post perfectly legal comment on Twitter but manage to offend some snowflake or other to do anything useful.

As here -

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60108532
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