A Householder's Right to Kill or Injure an Intruder under the Crime and Courts Act 2013: An Australian Comparison

Abstract

Section 43 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 has amended s. 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 such that a person may be acquitted in a case of self-defence in his or her own home where he or she uses disproportionate, but not grossly disproportionate, force against an intruder. This extends to circumstances where a householder intentionally kills such an intruder. This amendment, a result of Conservative Party policy, appears to be based on populist appeal and a response to certain high-profile cases. By comparison, Australian home invasion legislation imposes limitations on the rights of a householder to kill in circumstances such as a home invasion. In addition, a number of Australian jurisdictions provide for a partial defence of excessive self-defence. Section 43 provides only that the disproportionate force used by a householder be reasonable in the circumstances as the householder believed them to be. Further to this, the amendments are vague, ambiguous and likely to create significant uncertainty.