Print
E-mail
MAGICIAN Keith Barry delivered an emotional attack on the government yesterday and called for urgent new laws that will see mandatory three-year sentencing introduced for burglars and intruders.
Barry criticised the justice minister Dermot Ahern for a lack of law affording homeowners the right to defend themselves against intruders.
The magician also pledged to organise a day of national protest.
He made his comments on RTÉ radio's Marian Finucane Show yesterday as his 82-year-old grandfather Paddy Barry lay in hospital fighting for his life after a robbery on Wednesday night.
Former An Post worker Paddy Barry was sitting in his terraced Waterford home, where he has lived for 60 years, when a group of burglars arrived at his door and kicked it down between and 8pm and 10pm.
He is now in a coma in Waterford Regional Hospital with his family keeping a 24-hour bedside vigil.
The attack happened the day before the government rejected a Fine Gael proposal to strengthen the law to allow people use 'reasonable force' to protect their homes against intruders.
Justice minister Dermot Ahern rang the Marian Finucane Show after Keith Barry spoke and said he is waiting on the Law Reform Commission to suggest changes to laws in this area before he makes changes to the existing legislation after Christmas.
del.icio.us
digg
Facebook
Google
My deepest sympathy goes out to this poor defenceless old man and of course his family. The behaviour of the cowardly thugs who carried out this terrible assault on a frail old man is beneath contempt and, should warrant an extremely severe sentence. However,IF they are caught and convicted, they might get a few years behind bars, at most, with good meals and recreation facilities, compliments of the cash strapped Irish tax payer. Why not? Because to properly punish such animals would infringe on their Human Rights, thats why!
No matter what changes to the law allowing "reasonable force" to be employed in defence of oneself and one's home it would be of no value as far as a defenceless person would be concerned short of allowing the use of a firearm. Therefore the best answer must lie in suitable deterrents being put in place. There is one punishment which will certainly deter such thuggery and that is the use of the
birch or the "cat". Fear of pain is the one thing which will stop such behaviour. Oh shock, horror, I can hear at such a barbaric suggestion. What an infringement of their human rights, the poor lads!!