Burglar Stabbed to death by homeowner who has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Neil Flanagan, 59, his son, Peter, 27, and Peter’s girlfriend have been arrested and are being held for further questioning.

Every man has the right to protect himself. We have for thousands of years and when an intruder enters a mans house he is entering someones little piece of England and should that person do so with bad intent then a man may have to defend his family.

A man is technically not allowed to own a real weapon and in the heat of the moment especially when under fear for his life he can be driven to equip himself with a kitchen knife or other potential weapon that has a perfectly normal every day use.

The Salford householder is being questioned by police today after a burglar was stabbed to death during a break-in last night. It is thought that the householder acted after hearing noises downstairs when he went to investigate he was attacked in the kitchen area and managed to pick up a knife and scare off the intruders.

It should be stressed that this was not maybe the best course of action and 4 vs 1 is not a fight that anyone should want to enter. It has been reported that the householder actually was wearing a stab proof vest when he went to tackle the intruders, even so it was a very risky move considering he was outnumbered 4 to 1.

The dead burglar, 26 year-old man was just one of four masked men who were disturbed during their burglary shortly before midnight, when the family were resting in the upstairs of the house and were alerted to a sound of breaking glass from downstairs.

The householder Neil Flanagan was protecting his property in Salford, Greater Manchester as his son and his son’s girlfriend were at risk so he chose to confront the raiders.

All three thiefs (the live ones) are now belived to be held by police today, and it is thought they will appear at magistrates court tommorrow for an initial hearing, though due to the serious nature of the crime they may be held a bit longer before the court appearance.

Witnesses have said that the stabbed burglar was carried away from the address by the other members of the gang but was left at the roadside and later pronounced dead in hospital. It is thought that he was carrying the car keys and when they could not find them they ran off into the night. By this time the Police helicopter had been scrambled along with a number of ground units and the men were rounded up.

David Cameron recently announced proposals for a major change in the law to give homeowners the right to protect themselves against burglars and robbers.

The Prime Minister said on Tuesday that householders will be allowed to use reasonable force to defend their property, though some people have argued that this will still leave the law unclear on what is resonable.

Mr Cameron stated “My mission is to make sure families feel safe in their homes and they can walk the streets freely and without fear. Our policies are about making sure that is the case. The system today is failing and badly needs reform.”

He also promised that the new Justice Bill would “put beyond doubt that homeowners and small shopkeepers, who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties, will not be prosecuted”.

This recent proposal to change the law has come in response to public anger over the fact that they seem to have few legal rights when it comes to self defence and defending your property in general.

Cases like the jailing of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot dead a burglar, and businessman Munir Hussain, who chased and beat a man who had held his family at knifepoint at their home in High Wycombe have provoked much anger and upset amongst members of the law abiding public.

By this morning Greater Manchester Police had put up a 300 foot cordon around the small terrace house in Ethel Avenue, which backs onto open scrubland thought to be a haven for drug users and other undesirables close to a council recycling centre in the Pendlebury area of Salford.

Local sources say they believed intruders forced their way in through the back door of the property and were then confronted by the residents.

There is another theory that is that this man was involved in illegal activity and that he was targetting because of what he does, maybe he is a drug dealer or criminal, we dont know. All we know is that he was defending his property.

After Police were called by a neighbour they discovered the injured man at the foot of a tree in nearby Hospital Road. The man was barely concious and he had a bad stab wound to his side and a number of other stabs and cut related injuries.

By the time Paramedics arrived on the scene he was in a bad way and he was taken to hospital where after a long battle he was pronounced dead.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said: “I was coming back home with the dog at around half 12 and saw police swarming up the street.

The whole road was cordoned off and I saw someone being rushed into an ambulance but I couldn’t get that close because of the barriers. It’s a quiet street so I was shocked when I saw all that.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Just before midnight police were called to a house in Ethel Avenue Pendlebury, following reports of a burglary.

“While officers were responding to the first call, police also received reports a group of men had been seen carrying an injured man onto Hospital Road. On arrival at Hospital Road, police found a 26-year-old man with stab wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 59-year-old man, 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman have been arrested and remain in police custody.” Salford divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan said: “Clearly this is a shocking incident and a man has lost his life.

“However, I can reassure the community that we will thoroughly investigate what happened last night and do not believe that members of the public are at risk.”

This instance highlights how vunrable we all are when it comes to being victims of crime. All we can do is protect ourselves and stay strong.

Please see the update on this story.