FG seeks to protect homeowners who confront burglars

27/06/2006 - 08:33:45
Fine Gael is planning to introduce a bill in the Dáil this week giving homeowners more rights to confront intruders.

The party says the current law in this area is weighted too much in favour of the intruder and it wants to tilt the balance back in favour of the public.

Under the bill being proposed this week, burglars would be prevented from suing a homeowner who acts "reasonably" to protect their property.

If the intruder decides to sue as a result of an injury sustained, the onus would be on the prosecution to prove that the actions of the homeowner were not reasonable.

Fine Gael TD Jim O'Keefe says the proposed legislation is in line with the Constitution, which states that a person's home is inviolable.