78 year old arrested for murder of burglar, *Update: Cleared of all charge but still faces strife,

[Mr Puggsly]

palou said:

Mr Puggsly said:

 

"One suspect, armed with a screwdriver, forced the elderly man into his kitchen when he discovered them inside his home in the Hither Green area, while the other suspect went upstairs, the force added. 

A struggle ensued between the homeowner and one of the men"

I really hope you're speaking as someone that didn't read the article. If this is the story, then its self defense.

I speak of law not as a form of punishment, here, but rather as a deterrent for poor choices. Just as you need to deter the burglar from entering the home, you also need to deter the homeowner from engaging in the incredibly dangerous decision of fighting back against the burglar. In terms of culpability, no, I don't think that the homeowner did anything *bad* by defending himself when he was very justifiably frightened.

You aren't necessarily concerned about your legal rights when somebody breaks into your home and is threatening you with a weapon. At that point you're concerned with your life and perhaps protecting your home.

Essentially, you're asking people to go against their natural instincts by doing nothing and potentially waiting to be murdered.