If You Saw This Happening - In All Honesty, How Would You React To These Youths?

Question

A BRAVE woman who confronted 25 youths she suspected of vandalising a war memorial was yesterday convicted of assault.

Julie Lake, 50, grabbed the jeering gang’s ringleader by the shirt collar.

She had caught the 15-year-old riding his BMX bike through freshly-laid flower beds.

But he just laughed and said: “That’s assault.”

Mrs Lake also threw a lout’s bike into the road, shouting: “Now you know what it feels like to have property damaged.”

Her family were war heroes, with grandad James Byrne killed at 29 in the Western Front trenches during World War One and dad William Byrne an RAF pilot in World War Two.

Mrs Lake said she acted out of “moral obligation” after months of vandalism at the memorial in Mangotsfield, Bristol.

Yet she ended up convicted of assault, criminal damage and a public order offence.

Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, who defended her for free, said outside court: “It is perverse and ironic that the only person arrested, charged and convi

Answer 1

Could only happen in UK!!!   I may be wrong there as your name is Proud Mama Texas, but somehow I don't think I am.

I would have to really be firm with myself to walk on by if I saw this happening, but it seems that is the only way to keep yourself safe from stabbers and the law that is so very, very concerned with protecting the really, really guilty.

Edit,

I just looked sat your profile and you are in USA!!!  So you have this kind of problem there too?????

Answer 2

I would have walked passed them, Well done to Julie we could do with more people like her in Britain

Answer 3

as tempting as it is to engage in retaliatory acts it does nothing to prove that the original offenders (in this case the youths) were wrong.  if society is to run on rules then we all have to follow them.  i sympathize with the woman, and think the courts may have overreacted, but she was wrong, just as much as the people she was reacting to.

Answer 4

Did she ever contact the local police department and have them do their job? I have a hard time believing the police would know something like this was going on and not do anything. That should have been her first step. She is just out of line as the youths were to take matter in her own hands.

The 15 yr olds response just shows his lack of respect for anyone overall. Although I would also like to think that if she had verbally said something they would have left with out all of the poor behavior on her part, his reaction makes me think he really didn't care.

It's ashame to see how some kids have such a small lack of respect for what gives them all of freedom they have.

Answer 5

Well in all honesty, whethaer my relative was involved or not. the society should show moral and spiritual obligation together with our cultural customs, must be at play here. Our departed heroes definately need this respect.

We know that they are dead but they were or will remain part of our lives.

So, I would have physically beaten the d**n stupid fools for their lack of respect.

They are luck that they met an elderly person. It would have been worse if i found them doing those things.

Answer 6

Isn't English law a wonderful thing?  It that had happened in the USA, she would have gotten a medal.