http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8451369.stm

 

TV presenter Myleene Klass has said she has "no regrets" after being warned by police for waving a knife at youths who entered her back garden.

 

The former pop star was in the kitchen when she spotted the teenagers and grabbed a knife and banged the windows in an effort to get them to leave.

 

She says Hertfordshire Police officers told her that brandishing an "offensive weapon" was illegal.

 

But a police spokeswoman said that "at no point" were any warnings given.

 

The 31-year-old was at her Potters Bar home on Friday with her daughter upstairs when she spotted the youths peering into the house.

 

Klass said: "It was a scary incident but I've got no regrets as to how I reacted. I think I did what any other mother would do.

 

"This is my house and that's my daughter up there and I will do anything to protect my daughter and my family. That's what I did."

 

The star was speaking at the launch of new ITV1 series Popstar To Operastar - which features former chart stars as they try to make it as classical singers.

 

'Utmost respect'

 

Klass's spokesman, Jonathan Shalit, told the Sunday Telegraph the singer had been "utterly terrified" and was stepping up security at her home.

 

"Myleene was aghast when she was told that the law did not allow her to defend herself at home," he said.

 

"All she did was scream loudly and wave the knife to try and frighten them off.

 

"She is not looking to be a vigilante, and has the utmost respect for the law, but when the police explained to her that even if you're at home alone and you have an intruder, you are not allowed to protect yourself, she was bemused."

 

But a statement from Hertfordshire police said: "Officers spoke to reassure the home owner, talked through security and gave advice in relation to the importance of reporting suspicious activity immediately to allow officers to act appropriately."

 

It added: "For clarification, at no point were any official warnings or words of advice given to the home owner in relation to the use of a knife or offensive weapon in their home."

 

Mr Shalit could not immediately be reached for further comment.

 

Klass's fiance Graham Quinn was away on business at the time of the scare, but the couple's daughter was upstairs at the time the intruders were spotted.

 

The real question is - what would you do if you saw intruders in your gardern or home?

 

I think it's pathetic for the police to give her a telling off for chasing off unwelcome intruders. If this happened to me I'd make sure I give them a good scare!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8451369.stm

 

TV presenter Myleene Klass has said she has "no regrets" after being warned by police for waving a knife at youths who entered her back garden.

 

The former pop star was in the kitchen when she spotted the teenagers and grabbed a knife and banged the windows in an effort to get them to leave.

 

She says Hertfordshire Police officers told her that brandishing an "offensive weapon" was illegal.

 

But a police spokeswoman said that "at no point" were any warnings given.

 

The 31-year-old was at her Potters Bar home on Friday with her daughter upstairs when she spotted the youths peering into the house.

 

Klass said: "It was a scary incident but I've got no regrets as to how I reacted. I think I did what any other mother would do.

 

"This is my house and that's my daughter up there and I will do anything to protect my daughter and my family. That's what I did."

 

The star was speaking at the launch of new ITV1 series Popstar To Operastar - which features former chart stars as they try to make it as classical singers.

 

'Utmost respect'

 

Klass's spokesman, Jonathan Shalit, told the Sunday Telegraph the singer had been "utterly terrified" and was stepping up security at her home.

 

"Myleene was aghast when she was told that the law did not allow her to defend herself at home," he said.

 

"All she did was scream loudly and wave the knife to try and frighten them off.

 

"She is not looking to be a vigilante, and has the utmost respect for the law, but when the police explained to her that even if you're at home alone and you have an intruder, you are not allowed to protect yourself, she was bemused."

 

But a statement from Hertfordshire police said: "Officers spoke to reassure the home owner, talked through security and gave advice in relation to the importance of reporting suspicious activity immediately to allow officers to act appropriately."

 

It added: "For clarification, at no point were any official warnings or words of advice given to the home owner in relation to the use of a knife or offensive weapon in their home."

 

Mr Shalit could not immediately be reached for further comment.

 

Klass's fiance Graham Quinn was away on business at the time of the scare, but the couple's daughter was upstairs at the time the intruders were spotted.

 

The real question is - what would you do if you saw intruders in your gardern or home?

 

I think it's pathetic for the police to give her a telling off for chasing off unwelcome intruders. If this happened to me I'd make sure I give them a good scare!

 

In my garden probably what she did and bang on the window and brandish my hunting knife at them

 

If they broke in I would not hesitate to stab and stab to death

i think it was a daft thing to do ... only the other year a woman went out to confront some chavs trying to pinch her car and they used the knife against her and killed her.

 

she should have called 999 imediately and let them catch the youths, resorting only to violence when they really were in iminant danger.

Hmm idk what to think. Surely it's ok to scare them off, but "threatening" them with a weapon when they hadn't put her in danger at the that time is a little far. But if they were to break in and she weren't allowed to defend herself or family by law then is she just left to get raped/attacked/tortured/robbed/murdered etc. without being allowed to react when provoked? The laws are seriously f***ed up... imagine if she was broken into and did stab them out of self defence! She would be up for attempted murder or even manslaughter by now!

The law has so many shades of grey, every case has to be looked at individually although barristers may quote precedents to pursue the result they wish.

 

Self defence is still a legitimate defence in our courts but fetching a weapon before one could say the intruders had any intention of doing more than look could be construed as premeditation on Myleene's part.

Edited January 12, 201015 yr by Baytree

This is a tough one. Obviously she would've totally crossed the line if she'd actually USED it, but I don't know whether just threatening them with it qualifies, considering she (probably) didn't have any intention of using it. I would say that threatening to use a weapon in these circumstances SHOULD be illegal purely because there's too much scope for abuse if it's legal, BUT in cases like this where it seems she had no intentions, the authorities should turn a blind eye to it.

Well this was the other story on the front page last week in Myleene Klass' local newspaper showing how her local police force work:

 

 

‘Not in the public interest’ to release picture of pub killer

Welwyn Hatfield Times

Thursday, 7 January, 2010

13:05 PM

A MAN banned from all pubs in a town after attacking a barman had previously been convicted of manslaughter – for killing a man in a pub.

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/not_in_the_p...;cookieSet=true

Yet police refused our request for a photograph to be released to let the public know who he was.

 

Last month, Richard Stanford-Davies was given a one-year exclusion order banning him from pubs in Potters Bar, after attacking a member of staff at The Admiral Byng.

The 35-year-old, of Dellsome Lane, Welham Green, was given suspended jail terms of 16 weeks for assault, and eight weeks for criminal damage.

 

Since our story appeared in the Welwyn Hatfield Times on December 23, it has come to light that Stanford-Davies was given a five-year jail sentence in September 2004 after punching a man on the chin, killing him almost instantly.

Richard Stanford-DaviesRichard Stanford-Davies

He was a guest at an after hours 21st birthday party at the Old Maypole pub in North Mymms in March that year when fighting broke out.

 

Luton Crown Court heard Stanford-Davies punched a man unconscious, attacked pub landlord Neil Martin, then turned on Richard Hemstead, who had stepped in to help his friend.

The 47-year-old was hit once on the left side of his chin.

He suffered massive internal bleeding as the punch damaged his vertebral artery as a result of the sudden rotation of his head.

Stanford-Davies was charged with murder, but in court a guilty plea to manslaughter was accepted.

He was also given a two-year term after admitting ABH, for the attack on the landlord.

 

Despite this background, Hertfordshire Constabulary turned down the Welwyn Hatfield Times request for a photograph of Stanford-Davies to allow pubgoers to know what he looks like.

At the time of the original story, we were told it was not proportional or in the public interest to release his photograph more widely.

 

Yet one resident who called our newsdesk poured scorn on this claim.

He said: How the police can claim it is not in the public interest to release his photograph I dont know.

 

This week, police defended their stance.

A spokeswoman told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: It is only in exceptional circumstances that we issue photographs of people who have received less than three years imprisonment.

In this case, Stanford-Davies received a 16 and eight-week suspended sentence.

 

It was in relation to a local issue affecting the local community and it was therefore not appropriate or proportional for us to issue his photograph to all residents across the Welwyn Hatfield district.

She added: While we appreciate the publics help in trying to help us solve and prevent crime, in this case, it is the landlords of the pubs in Potters Bar who are able to positively enforce the order and they are all aware of what he looks like.

 

Poll: Do you think the police’s stance was right?

 

Yes - it was not in the public interest 18 %

No - the public have the right to know who this man is 82 %

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well I don't know about you but I would feel very assured living in a place where the police force are looking after the interests of the criminals first and foremost. Little wonder Myleene Klass got warned. It is a small wonder this police force did not find the intruders and asked them if they wanted to press charges against Myleene Klass for waving a knife at them!

The Myleene Klass story has been blown out of proportion ridiculously - she was informally warned, but nothing official was actually done or given, so I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about :/

i think it was a daft thing to do ... only the other year a woman went out to confront some chavs trying to pinch her car and they used the knife against her and killed her.

 

she should have called 999 imediately and let them catch the youths, resorting only to violence when they really were in iminant danger.

 

And do you think the local bobbies would treat this as a priority and rush round to her house, burglary is treated as low level crime. By the time they got there, the intruders could be in Ibiza.

 

She was understandably worried as she has a young child, and when faced with an intruder you always think the worse, put in the same situation I wonder how many of us would do something similar.

 

The police are only giving her a hard time because she must have voluntarily told them she picked up the knife. How else would they have known.

 

No doubt if the intruders came forward and admitted it, they might sue her for compensation for scaring them. Then the law would surely be an ass <_<

The Myleene Klass story has been blown out of proportion ridiculously - she was informally warned, but nothing official was actually done or given, so I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about :/

 

Agreed, though she is a pretty terrible presenter - at the New Year coverage she looked drunk and all over the place :D

Agreed, though she is a pretty terrible presenter - at the New Year coverage she looked drunk and all over the place :D

 

And your point being?

And your point being?

 

Nothing really, she didn't deserve all the hassle even though she's not very good! :)

Nothing really, she didn't deserve all the hassle even though she's not very good! :)

 

Exactly! No one deserves to have unwelcome intruders in their home.

Exactly! No one deserves to have unwelcome intruders in their home.

 

You go sister!! :D

Well, she didn't actually stab them so it's fine, it's her house and all. Of course what Tony Martin did (shot some pikeys for being on his land) was completely wrong and he was deservedly imprisoned.

The Myleene Klass story has been blown out of proportion ridiculously - she was informally warned, but nothing official was actually done or given, so I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about :/

 

I totally agree, this "martyrdom" of hers has 'PR stunt' written all over it if you ask me, she's making a hell of a lot more out of it than it is, isn't she doing some kind of TV show at the moment...?? I mean, now we're all feeling sorry for "poor Mylene", doesn't exactly do her public image much harm does it...? Good advertising for her show really innit, all this press attention...? :rolleyes:

 

The police would likely be obligated to advise ANYONE that brandishing a weapon was ill-advised, she was frankly lucky that they weren't the sorts of vermin who would've seen that as a direct challenge, if she lived in, say, Elephant and Castle, New Cross or Peckham, I shudder to think what would've happened... It may interest people to know that the Police in the US actually actively discourage people from having guns in the home as the weapon could be used by intruders against them, or get stolen and end up on the streets in the hands of gangs...