Breaking a stranger's car window if there's a dog inside

Breaking a stranger's car window if there's a dog inside

Author
Discussion

sandman77

2,366 posts

137 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Acidrop said:
Let's just take all the bleeding heart sentimental bs out of it. I love dogs the same as anyone else and I would never leave a dog in a locked car. I would never even let a dog in my car in the first place as the wife is not even allowed to eat in my car.

I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint. You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what. Yes it might be morally right to do so, but people who say there won't be any consequences?? I'm sure the police would view that differently.
Are you still sticking to your original viewpoint on this one? You would leave a dog to die in a strangers car rather than smash a window? If you saw someone else smash the window do you think they should be shot?

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Probably

Its rare it happens most people are clued up and dont leave dogs in cars , Ive never seen it, Im sure people do leave dogs in cars though

Also you'd feel a bit of a prick if you did it and they came back with a paper and said they'd only left him for 2 minutes


TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Acidrop said:
I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint.
Don't lie. We're not as stupid as you seem to think.

Acidrop said:
Am I the only one that thinks anyone doing this should be shot?
is what you started your original post with, before starting this follow-up with
Acidrop said:
Let's just take all the bleeding heart sentimental bs out of it.
So to say "purely from a legal standpoint" is crap, and you know it is.

But let's humour you, shall we?

Acidrop said:
You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what.
Wrong.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/48/sectio...

If an animal was suffering, that would almost certainly be a lawful excuse against any charge of criminal damage, so a valid defence.

Edited by TooMany2cvs on Friday 17th June 09:27

Barchettaman

6,282 posts

131 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Acidrop said:
I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint. You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what.
By suggesting people should be shot for doing it? Is that legal?

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Acidrop said:
I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint. You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what. Yes it might be morally right to do so, but people who say there won't be any consequences?? I'm sure the police would view that differently.
Why would they? I've watched the police do it.


Acidrop

Original Poster:

165 posts

124 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
Acidrop said:
I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint.
Don't lie. We're not as stupid as you seem to think.
Meaning what exactly? I stand by my opening post. If someone smashed my car windows in I would batter them as they have no business doing so. At the same time I wouldn't leave a dog in my car as I've stated, so get off your high horse.

TooMany2cvs said:
Acidrop said:
Am I the only one that thinks anyone doing this should be shot?
is what you started your original post with, before starting this follow-up with
Acidrop said:
Let's just take all the bleeding heart sentimental bs out of it.
So to say "purely from a legal standpoint" is crap, and you know it is.

But let's humour you, shall we?

Acidrop said:
You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what.
Wrong.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/48/sectio...

If an animal was suffering, that would almost certainly be a lawful excuse against any charge of criminal damage, so a valid defence.

Edited by TooMany2cvs on Friday 17th June 09:27
Sorry, but I can't see where it says you're allowed to criminally damage someone else's car if there was a dog left inside.

The police on the other hand does have the power PACE (s.17) to force entry to "save lives or prevent serious damage to property"

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Acidrop said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Acidrop said:
I'm looking at this purely from a legal standpoint.
Don't lie. We're not as stupid as you seem to think.
Meaning what exactly?
I think it was fairly clear by the next couple of quotes from your posts what I mean.

Acidrop said:
I stand by my opening post.
Yes, I'm sure you do. And there appears to be a strong consensus view on that opening post, and on you for making and standing by it.

Acidrop said:
If someone smashed my car windows in I would batter them as they have no business doing so.
Well, at least you've come down a notch, from arbitrary cold-blooded murder to mere assault, ABH or GBH.

Acidrop said:
You have no right to criminally damage someone else's car no matter what.
TooMany2cvs said:
Wrong.

thttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/48/section/5

If an animal was suffering, that would almost certainly be a lawful excuse against any charge of criminal damage, so a valid defence.
Sorry, but I can't see where it says you're allowed to criminally damage someone else's car if there was a dog left inside.
I just showed you exactly where in legislation having a "lawful excuse" was a valid defence against a criminal damage charge. What exactly constitutes a "lawful excuse" is not strictly defined - so each claimed excuse would be decided on the merits of that case alone. It's monumentally unlikely that any prosecution would seriously try to claim a car window was somehow more important than a suffering animal, so it's very unlikely that would ever be tested in court. It's even less likely that it would be found not to be a lawful excuse.

Butter Face

30,191 posts

159 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Acidrop said:
Meaning what exactly? I stand by my opening post. If someone smashed my car windows in I would batter them as they have no business doing so.
Well that's fair because....

Acidrop said:
At the same time I wouldn't leave a dog in my car as I've stated, so get off your high horse.
If you wouldn't leave a dog in the car, someone smashing your window would then be for no reason, in which case you'd batter them, which is expected. Your logic is odd.

davebem

746 posts

176 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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You can usually force the window down without breaking it. The door windows are only held into the regulator mechanism by flimsy plastic clips on most cars.

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Acidrop said:
Meaning what exactly? I stand by my opening post. If someone smashed my car windows in I would batter them as they have no business doing so. At the same time I wouldn't leave a dog in my car as I've stated, so get off your high horse.
What? You've made a situation into something it isn't. You are correct that noone has any business to smash in YOUR windows, but that is because YOU wouldn't leave the dog in the car.

That is totally different to a person who DOES leave their dog in the car, in which situation, a person WOULD have "the business" to go ahead and smash a window and have minimal risk of facing any prosecution.


Also, unless you only have TPFT insurance, then what's a new window going to cost you, a £75-100 excess maximum to get Autoglass out to replace it?

IanH755

1,849 posts

119 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Acidrop said:
Am I the only one that thinks anyone doing this should be shot? Yes it's daft if someone leaves a dog inside a locked car, but it's not your dog or your car. It's plain criminal damage and people are made out to be heroes for smashing someone's window in.
Obvious troll is Obvious rolleyes

AH33

2,066 posts

134 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Not only are you morally obliged to smash the window if there is a dog boiling to death in there, you should also wait for the owner and give their face the same treatment

Electronicpants

2,623 posts

187 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Ok it's California heat, but this guy lasts 8 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBTGcWUf2ts


itaa

148 posts

98 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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I do leave my dog in a car..but only if the day isn't too hot and I will be away for max 10mins, I always find a place in a shade/under the tree and crack open all 4 windows by 7-10cm, yes someone could potentially reach his arm in and open the car, but I doubt they will after seeing my dog in it.

Edited by itaa on Friday 17th June 12:02

technodup

7,576 posts

129 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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Davey S2 said:
If the dog was in danger then I'd happily smash the window.

If the owner came back and started kicking off about it and I thought I'd get away with it I'd also happily smash the owner too.
This.

A poxy car window's what, a couple of hundred quid? Who's got a brick?

Find it harder to believe someone wouldn't smash it tbh.

BigMacDaddy

963 posts

180 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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R E S T E C P said:
The risk of dogs overheating is far greater than people realise. If I ever see a car with a dog inside on a hot day I smash the window to either pull them out or at least let some air into the car.

Seriously pisses off the drivers though, especially on the motorway.
laugh

That deserved more recognition than it got

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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MrBarry123 said:
I think I'd probably call 101 and inform the police before smashing someone's window.
We had to do this last summer, some old bloke had left one of his dogs in his locked car while he walked his other dog confused

We stood by the car for about 20mins while deciding what to do, then calling 101, the old timer finally returned before the Police attended but I believe he got a stern talking too.

I would break a window if I felt the dog was in immediate danger, would rather call 101 & be given the go ahead to do so though. If I was stupid enough to put my dogs in that situation I'd suck up the fact that somebody damaged my car, might even be grateful they saved my dogs life.

deadslow

7,962 posts

222 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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whenever I see a dog in any car, I tear the roof off that car.

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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deadslow said:
whenever I see a dog in any car, I tear the roof off that car.
With your bare hands or do you use your teeth too?

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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I was at a bike show some years ago and there was a tannoy announcement along the lines of:

"Will the owner of car registration XXXXXX please return to your vehicle"

A few minutes later there was a followup

"Will the owner of car registration XXXXXX please return to your vehicle, your dog is in distress"

But it was the third announcement I liked

"If the owner of car registration XXXXXX doesn't return to their vehicle in the next 10 minutes the Hells Angels are going to let your dog out of the car"

I'm guessing at that point he might have been better off not returning to the car and just accepting he'd have a broken window hehe