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Man who mistakenly killed drunken neighbour will not be charged

Case sparks debate over law enabling householders to defend themselves

  • Evening Standard
  • Published: 00:05 April 28, 2008
  • Gulf News

London: A man who killed his drunken neighbour after mistaking him for a burglar will not be charged over the death. Edwin Pitkin was told last week that he would not have to face court over the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Mark Woods.

Woods had been on a 12-hour drink and drugs binge before he tried to break into Pitkin's Enfield home after confusing it with his own house four doors away.

Pitkin, 58, ran downstairs and armed himself with a kitchen knife to repel the intruder, believing it was a thief. There was a scuffle and Woods was stabbed in the chest.

After the death on February 29, police told him he could be prosecuted for murder. The case sparked fresh debate over how and when householders should be allowed by law to defend themselves.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service announced Pitkin would not be charged because there was no proof he had acted unlawfully. It added that householders were entitled to use "reasonable force" in self-defence when facing an intruder. The ruling will be welcomed by campaigners who argue in favour of the right to fight back against burglars.

Rene Barclay, the CPS's director of complex casework, said: "A person is entitled to use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances for the purpose of self-defence, the defence of another, the defence of property, or the prevention of crime."

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