Memorial for dead burgler

I agree nina! If it was one of my boys I'd be hanging my head in shame not say that he was too good for this world.

The poor pensioner must be terrified.

But you don't have a criminal family, kitty. They do love each other despite their lawless tendencies.

I do think it's horrible, though.

Apparently these are being left by the burglars travelling community. The pensioner and his wife have had to be moved to a safe house and are under police protection following death threats.

If the house opposite is owned by the occupants, surely they have a right to remove the flowers and messages. Or, have they been sent a "warning" by the dead man's relatives?

I feel sorry for the fence owner!
The police could step in ( if they wanted to) by clearing away the flowers, as they are causing worry and unrest and intimidation, by relatives cars driving by.
If they won’t do this, neighbours could clear them during the night.

The funeral will close down all this I suppose.

I read about this yesterday and a 'spokesperson' for the traveller community said they just wanted the flowers left there to die then it would be done !

I think its a bloody cheek ! Call me hard hearted but I believe that if you go onto someone else's property and commit a crime then you deserve what's coming to you .

If tied to the fence in any way that is potentially criminal damage and/or conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.

Think the police could take out a restraining order against any member of the family threatening violence since the threats could be harassment.

I would clear them away every day.

I feel sorry for the couple who are now under police protection. Will it ever be safe for them to return home?

I don’t know what to think about this - we’ve had this ‘tradition’ of flowers being left now for ages (Diana?)and whilst I don’t like it in general it’s not breaking any laws. I once passed a flower shrine on a country road for three young men killed in a car crash by their own drunken driving - but DH knew the totally innocent woman they killed in the other car days before her retirement after a lifetime of service. I felt it was completely inappropriate at all levels. I don’t like the kind of vigilantism that tears them down - I wish it were possible for the police to be able to move them to a place where he had lived. It’s terrible what happened - I can’t imagine going through what the man and his wife suffered and doubt they’ll ever know peace again.

I can’t believe the lack of shame shown by the relatives of the armed burglar who broke into an elderly couples home intent on robbing them blind and/or doing them serious harm.

I feel its a deliberately threatening act on the part of the burglars family.

gilly those kind of career criminal families have no shame, it’s their line of ‘work’ and considered normal to them.

Yes I agree lemongrove they have no shame - they live by a totally different code. So their sense of decency or respect can’t be appealed to - in fact tearing the flowers down will just fuel their burning sense of injustice. I expect it will just go on until everyone runs out of steam really because I don’t see what the police can do about it. I suppose there will have to be an inquest so that will open it up again.

This is totally unacceptable in my eyes and it shames us as a society that to some degree we are helpless in relieving the extra stress that this "floral act" must cause to the poor man and his disabled wife, whose house was burgled.
Of course the majority of the country are up in arms agreeing what the poor pensioner did was only protect himself,his helpless wife and their home.Had the burglars not pin pointed his home,entering and causing great unrest none of this would ever have occured.
The burglar`s family just totally fail to see the point.
Whilst now obviously they are left to grieve their dead member but are forgetting that the older couple now are basically homeless and it is doubtful that they will ever have one moments peace in the years ahead.
They are being punished over and over yet completely innocent.
It really sucks!
As for the man whose fence is being used to form this so called shrine,he too and his family, although innocent in all this must feel totally handicapped, and are fearing doing anything that might bring the ex burglar`s families wrath on his household.
Come on Police,there must be a way to halt these acts........before there is more blood shed.

I think they should be allowed to honour their family member in flowers if they wish but ON THEIR OWN LAND definitely not on that fence It is a threat and a message of threat and the police should be clearing it whenever necessary
That poor couple must be in turmoil and probably never be able to safely return to their home In a brief moment in time their whole life was turned upside down through no fault of their own

the man didn't die on that spot but in another street so the flowers should not be placed where the family are laying them

I have never understood the need for families to create shrines at the place where their relative died, particularly when they died in a violent way, (car accident, fight, suicide).

If they feel the need to create a shrine and a cemetery isn't appropriate, then they should be in a private place that belongs to the family; roadside memorials are particularly distracting to drivers and quickly deteriorate.

I believe the fence owner has the right to object to his property being used in this way, but he is probably feeling intimidated by the relatives he has to deal with; the police need to intervene.

eazy good post. I wouldn’t expect the fence owner for one minute to object - I doubt he has a death wish and I really don’t see what the police can realistically do - I don’t mean that they shouldn’t do something but I don’t see what

It just means then, that the family can do exactly as they want, with nobody willing or able to stand up to them.

What it means is that unless the family are arrested for breaking a law, then they can’t be stopped as regrettable as that is. What do we mean by ‘standing up to them’ ? I suppose those tearing the flowers down are standing g up to them but it’s not solving the problem is it? I wonder if ther3 are any community leaders eg vicars who might try and help?

No, I don't believe removing the flowers will do anything.
Its a much deeper rooted problem than that.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know I wouldn't want to live in a place where a few families are feared to that extent.

I agree Miss it must be awful

The burglar would not be dead if he had not entered that house illegally. I agree, the family have no shame, one would think that he was there legally the way they are carrying on. Put the flowers at their travellers site but then the public would be unlikely to see them.