Bill does not confer on homeowners a right to kill

I REFER to your front page story in yesterday’s edition (Dec 9) concerning the Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Bill 2010.

The story is a fair account of yesterday’s proceedings in Seanad Éireann and I welcome the efforts of journalists like Stephen Rogers to bring the work done in the Houses of the Oireachtas to the attention of your readers.

Unfortunately, the headline to the story “Bill To Give Homeowners Right To Kill Intruders” could give your readers the wrong impression about the purpose and effect of the bill.

For the purposes of clarification, I would like to point out that the bill does not confer on homeowners a right to kill intruders.

People can take reasonable action to defend themselves in their homes in the circumstances as they perceive them to be.

They cannot respond unreasonably to the extent that they use a disproportionate level of force or simply set out to kill someone. In that context it is clear that the bill does not, as your headline infers, confer a right to kill.

To be clear, what the bill does is recognise the right of householders who set out to defend, not those who set out to kill.

It acknowledges that reasonable force used in defence may, unfortunately, result in death.

Alan Shatter, TD

Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence

94 St Stephen’s Green

Dublin 2