# Intruder in your home at 3 AM - if you live in Toronto, don't hurt the perp . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350 "2012-09-01T11:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/201 "2012-09-11T22:33:33Z")
Well, if you remove degree of force reasonable to defend one’s home from a burglar in the night in Toronto without getting arrested from the thread OP, then you have brought us back on topic. Ph, wait a minute, that leaves us with nothing but your tough guy rants, which have nothing to do with the OP. ---
**Author:** ![kwimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@kwimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwimby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/202 "2012-09-12T02:24:41Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Well, if you remove degree of force reasonable to defend one’s home from a burglar… I thought you were dealing with drunks and vagrants? Even they know stupid, broke college frat boys don’t have anything worth stealing. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/203 "2012-09-12T02:37:37Z")
Whatever you say, big boy. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/204 "2012-10-25T21:23:29Z")
Well, after Gawd knows how much fear, frustration, and financial hardship it caused the accused, “The Crown” (our equivalent to the DA) has [dropped the charges](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1277082--man-who-stabbed-home-intruder-goes-free-as-crown-drops-charge). Well, what a surprise. It’s a shame the guy can’t sue. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/205 "2012-10-25T22:07:31Z")
Thanks for the update. Glad it was dismissed. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/206 "2012-10-26T21:46:05Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Thanks for the update. Glad it was dismissed. This. Personally, I liked the way the law was in Texas. If he is in your home, whatever happens to him, is all on him because he didn’t belong there. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/207 "2012-10-26T21:52:12Z")
I wonder how much money this cost that family besides all the time, stress and unnecessary heartache. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350/208 "2012-10-26T22:29:42Z")
It would have been one hell of an emotional cost, but not that great a financial cost at this point in the case. As far as compensation goes, one has to put it in perspective. I would be happy if this fellow gets compensated, for my gut feeling is that he acted reasonably in defending himself, however, our system does not work that way, and in my opinion should not work that way, for if every person who was reasonably arrested but later freed when the prosecution’s case did not gel were to be compensated, a lot of our tax dollars would be used to pay scum. I prefer that costs awards in criminal matters be reserved for when the police or prosecutor acted unreasonably. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intruder-in-your-home-at-3-am-if-you-live-in-toronto-dont-hurt-the-perp/633350.md?page=10)