If you’ve listened to the Mail or Express, you’ll have the impression that defending your home exposes you to the liability culture. Ultimately, it doesn’t; you just have to be clear about consequences in the outcomes of what an individual may do.

Think of it like this; The coffee cup says, “Caution, contents may be hot.”

At which, you quite reasonably point out that you would expect your coffee to be hot.

However, then there can be no argument; you entered into a knowing and acknowledged contract of heat existing, and accepting the risk.

The same does truly legally apply in home defence; ultimately, you can state via signage that intruders are liable to be detained until law enforcement arrives, and should it ever come up in court  you can then justify any restraint deemed necessary.

What you can’t do is exercise unreasonable force; essentially be vindictive, which is hard if you’re in a more rural location and feel under constant attack, but the deterrent effect is enough. You can set hazards if you warn of them, and you do have intrinsic and undeniable right to defend your home.

Read about the power of psychology in home defence if you’d like to learn more.