Understanding Self-Defence Law
Self-defence is your legal right to use reasonable force to protect yourself, another person, or property when under threat. This defence is governed by Section 76 of the Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008 and Section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967.
The law recognises two types: private self-defence (protecting yourself or your property) and public self-defence (preventing a crime from occurring). What makes self-defence powerful is that it's a complete defence - if successful, you'll be found not guilty rather than receiving a reduced sentence.
Necessity of force is judged based on your honest view of the situation, even if you were mistaken about the facts (established in Williams). However, if you're drunk and misjudge the threat level, this won't help your defence (O'Grady case).
Key Point: The jury decides what counts as "reasonable force" by considering the threat level, urgency of the situation, and whether you had other options available.
