Homeowner Munir Hussain jailed for attacking burglars who tied up family

jetsetter

Forum Addict
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
7,257
Location
Seren?sima Rep?blica de California
Car(s)
1997 BMW 528i
Homeowner Munir Hussain jailed for attacking burglars who tied up family
December 14, 2009

A businessman who fought off knife-wielding thugs who were threatening to kill his family has been jailed for 30 months, while his attackers avoided a jail sentence.

The case, compared to that of Tony Martin, jailed after he shot dead a teenage burglar at his farmhouse in 2000, has prompted debate over the level of force that householders can legitimately use to defend themselves.

Munir Hussain and his wife and three children returned from their local mosque during Ramadan to find three intruders, wearing balaclavas, in their home.

The family members? hands were tied behind their backs and they were forced to crawl from room to room. Hussain, chairman of the Asian Business Council, was told that he would be killed, but made his escape after throwing a coffee table and enlisted his brother Tokeer in chasing the offenders down the street in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, bringing one of them to the ground.

What followed was described in Reading Crown Court as self-defence that went too far, leaving intruder Walid Salem with a permanent brain injury after he was struck with a cricket bat so hard that it broke into three pieces. Neighbours saw several men beating Salem with weapons including a metal pole.

Salem was the only intruder caught after the incident on September 3, 2008, but his injuries meant he was not fit to plead after being charged with false imprisonment.

Salem, who has a string of 50 past convictions, was given a two-year supervision order at a court hearing in September this year. He is currently in custody awaiting trial for an alleged credit card fraud.

But the brothers, described as family men at the heart of the local community, were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a trial earlier this year. The prosecution alleged two other men took part in the so-called ?revenge attack? with them.

Munir Hussain was given a 30-month sentence, while his brother, Tokeer, was jailed for 39 months.

Hussain, an engineer by training, came to Britain in 1964 and founded a company which employs nine people and had a ?2.4 million turnover last year. In 2004 he won the Business Link small business of the year award. He is a former chairman of the Wycombe Race Equality Council.

Judge John Reddihough said that Munir Hussain?s family had been subject to a ?serious and wicked offence? and praised the bravery of his teenage son who escaped to raise the alarm.

He also noted the ?courage? of Munir Hussain, but said he carried out a ?dreadful, violent attack? on Salem as he lay defenceless. Under normal sentencing guidelines they would each be starting sentences of at least seven years, the judge added.

?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," said the judge.

?However, 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.?

Michael Wolkind QC, defending, promised to appeal the sentence. He argued that his client, who has been prescribed anti-depressants, had simply acted in the heat of the moment in ?extreme circumstances of stress? and was the ?real victim? in the case.

Mr Wolkind said the case had similarities to that of Tony Martin, noting there was public support in both cases. He told the court: ?The public surely do not want Munir Hussain to receive imprisonment. I don?t seek a medal, I seek justice for him.?

Prosecutors said that the Hussains were not convicted for apprehending Salem, but for the ?excessive force? they used on him. Hilary Neville, prosecuting, said: ?What started as reasonable self defence by Munir Hussain then turned into excessive force by virtue of a sustained attack by Munir, Tokeer and at least two others.?

The brothers, who live near each other in Desborough Road, High Wycombe, did not react as they were sentenced, but members of their family watching from the public gallery tearfully shook their heads.

The Government has promised that people who fight back against burglars will find the law is on their side, so long as they do not use excessive or disproportionate violence. The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, introduced last year, contained clauses to protect people from prosecution if they act instinctively and out of fear for their safety.

Jack Straw, Justice Secretary, said: ?Law-abiding citizens should not be put off tackling criminals by fear of excessive investigation. For a passer-by witnessing a street crime or a householder faced with a burglar, we are reassuring them that if they use force which is not excessive or disproportionate, the law really is behind them.? In the Martin case, the murder conviction was reduced on appeal to manslaughter and his sentence to five years.

The Reading court heard sentencing would have an impact on the local economy, with 10 members of staff losing their jobs at Soundsorba, the company run by Munir Hussain, who employs his brother as a technical director.

Sentencing the brothers, whose mother had died just before the incident, the judge added: ?This case is a tragedy for you and your families. Sadly, I have no doubt that my public duty requires me to impose immediate prison sentences of some length upon you.

?This is in order to reflect the serious consequences of your violent acts and intent and to make it absolutely clear that, whatever the circumstances, persons cannot take the law into their own hands, or carry out revenge attacks upon a person who has offended them.?

Munir Hussain is said to feel that he let down his wife Shaheen Begum and sons Awais, 21, Samad, 15, and 18-year-old daughter Arooj, by failing to defend them against Salem and his gang. His wife had suffered a stroke prior to the incident, and has since had a mini stroke. There were now fears for his mental health, a psychiatrist who assessed him told the judge.

Dr Philip Joseph said Munir Hussain could even attempt suicide if his depression reached that stage, saying: ?He would be in his cell, worrying about his family, thinking about the many losses he has suffered as a result of this incident. I would have concerns he would make a serious bid to harm himself.?

Before sentencing, a senior police officer had told Munir Hussain that he had sympathy for him. The court heard Chief Inspector Colin Seaton of Thames Valley Police, the senior officer in the case, approached Munir Hussain after a community meeting, asking if there was anything he could do to help.

?He stated that whatever happened that night in the heat of the moment, he was still sad to see Munir Hussain and Tokeer Hussain convicted,? Mr Wolkind added. ?He said they were outstanding members of the community and they had done a great deal of work in the community, both before this incident and afterwards.?

Speaking outside court, Mr Wolkind said: ?The criminal justice system has failed twice. The court was unable to sentence Walid Salem with sufficient harshness, or Munir and Tokeer Hussain with sufficient compassion.

?It?s difficult to believe that this outcome reflects the thinking of the public, or the interests of justice.? He said he intended to appeal against the sentence on his client?s behalf.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6956044.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Munir Hussain should not be in prison. It is quite unfortunate.
 
Not sure what to think about this. These are really hard cases to judge. But 2.5 years is way too much for this in any case. And the other guys should have gone to prison.
 
Last edited:
F'ing stupid. Britain has capitulated to the barbarians. Not the good kind of barbarians, either.

Compare that to over here (especially in Texas) - the last time I heard of anything like this, the knife wielding gang all got a case of high-speed lead poisoning. It is legal to shoot fleeing felons here.
 
Hearing about these kinds of incidents. I'm glad I live in Texas. I think I'm still allowed to shoot anyone that invades my home. A man's (or woman's) his is his/her castle, someone breaking that sanctity with intent to harm, rob and pillage should be dealt with accordingly. I feel no pity for the brain damaged fellow, it's a shame his comrade wasn't either.

TL;DR:
Anyone invades your home in GB, take your Landie Disco into the hills and dump the bodies. :p
 
Hearing about these kinds of incidents. I'm glad I live in Texas. I think I'm still allowed to shoot anyone that invades my home. A man's (or woman's) his is his/her castle, someone breaking that sanctity with intent to harm, rob and pillage should be dealt with accordingly. I feel no pity for the brain damaged fellow, it's a shame his comrade wasn't either.

TL;DR:
Anyone invades your home in GB, take your Landie Disco into the hills and dump the bodies. :p


You are allowed to shoot any home invader, and if you come home and surprise a burglar, you are specifically allowed armed pursuit to regain your property.

What is especially amusing is how the local media treats such events. :D
 
Last edited:
I think it was a fair ruling. Once the perpetrator was on the ground there surely was no need to hit him more.
And I think the most important part of that big quote was this:

?However, 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.?
 
The only problem is that the Brit justice system is notorious for letting criminals - even admitted murderers - go with little to no punishment. Top Gear has repeatedly joked about it. When the justice system fails as regularly and blatantly as the Brit one does, well, what're the citizens to do? Especially when the perp has clearly stated that he intends to kill you and your family - do you want to wait for the Brit justice system to let him out in a few days whereupon he will get more friends and come back to complete the job?

Or in the name of defending your family, are you going to make sure that the SOB is never going to threaten your family again? How much do you value the life of your wife and kids?

This isn't really an issue in Texas. But it's a huge one in the UK. In Texas, if you pull something like this and the intended victim catches up with you and either beats you retarded (as in this case) or otherwise renders you messily dead, there isn't a single jury in Texas that will convict. Most DAs won't even bother bringing charges.

In my case, if you threaten the life of me or mine in a believable way, the XD45's coming out and you're getting an entire magazine dumped into you and any friends you have backing you as fast as I can pull the trigger. You will not be getting up. You will not be suing me. You will not be returning to carry out your threat. You will be going to the morgue. You will not be coming back except in a pine box. I have taken pains to make sure I live in a place where this squares with the local mores and laws and I will not be worrying about consequences afterwards - because there won't be any. I will not be charged with excessive force or murder because I won't be shooting you while you are on the ground. I won't have to. There's a reason I carry a .45, and I can put most of the magazine into someone before they hit the ground.

After all, I live in a place where the police are known to have said on tape that "it was a shame the homeowner didn't kill the bastard, now the taxpayer is going to have to support him."
 
Last edited:
You are allowed to shoot any home invader, and if you come home and surprise a burglar, you are specifically allowed armed pursuit to regain your property.

What is especially amusing is how the local media treats such events. :D
It's like that here, too. Castle Laws, or some such.

Damn shame these brothers go to jail for simply protecting their home and family. Over here, the one burglar wouldn't have had to deal with a brain injury, but a nasty case of the death due to, how Spectre put it, high-speed lead poisoning.
 
Last edited:
I think it was a fair ruling. Once the perpetrator was on the ground there surely was no need to hit him more.
And I think the most important part of that big quote was this:

Oh, I see your point. They should beat him JUST ONCE and ask him: "will you play nice, from now on?" :rolleyes:

Come on, it?s one of the guys that attacked you and plainly said he was going to kill you!


The only problem is that the Brit justice system is notorious for letting criminals - even admitted murderers - go with little to no punishment. Top Gear has repeatedly joked about it. When the justice system fails as regularly and blatantly as the Brit one does, well, what're the citizens to do? Especially when the perp has clearly stated that he intends to kill you and your family - do you want to wait for the Brit justice system to let him out in a few days whereupon he will get more friends and come back to complete the job?

Or in the name of defending your family, are you going to make sure that the SOB is never going to threaten your family again? How much do you value the life of your wife and kids?

This isn't really an issue in Texas. But it's a huge one in the UK. In Texas, if you pull something like this and the intended victim catches up with you and either beats you retarded (as in this case) or otherwise renders you messily dead, there isn't a single jury in Texas that will convict. Most DAs won't even bother bringing charges.

In my case, if you threaten the life of me or mine in a believable way, the XD45's coming out and you're getting an entire magazine dumped into you and any friends you have backing you as fast as I can pull the trigger. You will not be getting up. You will not be suing me. You will not be returning to carry out your threat. You will be going to the morgue. You will not be coming back except in a pine box. I have taken pains to make sure I live in a place where this squares with the local mores and laws and I will not be worrying about consequences afterwards - because there won't be any.

After all, I live in a place where the police are known to have said on tape that "it was a shame the homeowner didn't kill the bastard, now the taxpayer is going to have to support him."

I wanna move to Texas.
 
Oh, I see your point. They should beat him JUST ONCE and ask him: "will you play nice, from now on?" :rolleyes:

well yeah... when you stop and keep hitting a defenceless guy rather than running after the other two perpetrators thats a sign that they've clearly given up their higher brain functions to just mob behaviour or rage. Which I, and the British lawmakers agree, means they committed a crime.

I don't however agree with the sentencing of the guy they did hit. If you commit a felony and in doing so sustain injuries these will not be mitigating circumstances not even if someone breaks a cricket bat on your head.
 
Last edited:
Salem, who has a string of 50 past convictions

Need I say more?

I agree they retaliated with too much force, but he should get a social service sentence or something, and the 50 time sentenced "victim" should go to jail, once and for all.
 
That pretty much demonstrates the uselessness of the UK justice system. In the US, at a minimum, he would still be in jail. Except in the hippie liberal feel-good stronghold of California, of course. Which, strangely enough, is another place where this sort of idiocy happens.
 
F'ing stupid. Britain has capitulated to the barbarians.
Sad but true.


Or in the name of defending your family, are you going to make sure that the SOB is never going to threaten your family again? How much do you value the life of your wife and kids?
I'm pretty damn sure that anyone would get heated enough to kill in that situation. Even if in retrospect the two brothers agree that it was too much, in the heat of the moment when anger and adrenaline are abundant, use of excessive force just becomes a natural thing.


This isn't really an issue in Texas. But it's a huge one in the UK. In Texas, if you pull something like this and the intended victim catches up with you and either beats you retarded (as in this case) or otherwise renders you messily dead, there isn't a single jury in Texas that will convict. Most DAs won't even bother bringing charges.
I'm moving to Texas.


In my case, if you threaten the life of me or mine in a believable way, the XD45's coming out and you're getting an entire magazine dumped into you and any friends you have backing you as fast as I can pull the trigger. You will not be getting up. You will not be suing me. You will not be returning to carry out your threat. You will be going to the morgue. You will not be coming back except in a pine box. I have taken pains to make sure I live in a place where this squares with the local mores and laws and I will not be worrying about consequences afterwards - because there won't be any. I will not be charged with excessive force or murder because I won't be shooting you while you are on the ground. I won't have to. There's a reason I carry a .45, and I can put most of the magazine into someone before they hit the ground.
+ r e p


After all, I live in a place where the police are known to have said on tape that "it was a shame the homeowner didn't kill the bastard, now the taxpayer is going to have to support him."
Have I mentioned that I now want to move to Texas?
 
Yes he should, he went far beyond what is reasonable self defence.

I'd love to see you sit quietly and wait for the cops while the man who tied up and threatened your family is there, relatively intact and probably not facing any sort of real justice. I'm not quite sure at that moment I'd be thinking about reason-ability and the well being of the guy, but maybe that's just me.
 
Last edited:
I'd love to see you sit quietly and wait for the cops while the man who tied up and threatened your family is there, relatively intact and probably not facing any sort of real justice. I'm not quite sure at that moment I'd be thinking about reason-ability and the well being of the guy, but maybe that's just me.

What's real justice? An eye for an eye?
 
Europeans: why do anything in retaliation? That criminal has a right to walk all over you and your family's safety.
Americans: KILL THAT MAN AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY, AND LEAVE HIS BODY TO THE DOGS!

Am i doing it rite?
 
What's real justice? An eye for an eye?

Maybe a jail sentence that is more than thirty seconds when an actual crime is committed?
Maybe keeping criminals in jail?
Maybe, I don't know, not letting a FIFTY TIME LOSER out to prey on the law abiding?

When the government fails in its duties, it falls upon the people to resolve the problem. Make no mistake, the UK government has failed, on a biblical scale, in it's duties.

If a modern Jack The Ripper were apprehended in the UK today, he would be released within the month on "compassionate grounds" and let loose to kill again without so much as an ankle monitor.
 
Last edited:
He gave him a brain injury with a cricket bat? That's not grievous bodily harm, that's called kicking ass and taking names. If anyone threatened my friends/family the way they did, I would do anything I could with whatever came to hand, consequences be damned.
 
Top