Petition for a guy who tried to save his family

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WishfulThinker

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Stephen Armstrong is currently serving a 3 Year 8 Month prison sentence for a crime committed against him and his family.

Unbelievable as that may sound, on the 12th of April 2007 while leaving his home to go shopping, Stephen, with his children present was confronted by a man clearly under the influence of drugs and alchohol who threatened to stab him in full view of his children some of whom are not yet of school age, unless he agreed to fight.

Over the past year, steps at the bottom of the cul-de-sac in Southpark (Glasgow, Scotland) had become a meeting point for hooligans, drug-takers and drunkards and despite numerous instances of vandalism, threatening and aggressive behaviour and constant noise at all hours having been reported on a regular basis by the residents, the police were powerless to intervene unless someone had actually been hurt. Fearing for his children's safety Stephen left his car unarmed, to discover that his attacker was brandishing a metal baton and a 14 inch knife with which his attacker attempted to stab him several times. The thug then smashed up his car breaking the windows. Stephen got back into his car and attempted to drive away as the thug again struck his car with the baton. Stephen, understandably shaking with fear lost control of the vehicle and knocked his attacker down. The man who had no business being in the vicinity other than to intimidate and attack Mr Armstrong and terrorise his young family quite simply came of worst in a situation entirely of his own making.

Although Mr Armstrong had had no intention or wish to fight anyone and had been going about his normal business at his own home, he accepted that he had unintentionally injured his attacker and pled guilty as charged.

On the 11 February 2008 at the High Court in Edinburgh, the Judge, after hearing these facts, determined that Stephen should receive a custodial sentence of 3 years 8 months for protecting the lives of his wife, children and his own.

With the amount of horrific incidents and untimely deaths of innocent, decent people falling under the banner of "Yob Culture", it seems Mr Armstrong is being punished for surviving this cowardly, unprovoked attack and his family are paying the consequences of the "victim's" actions.

If your quality of life, like far too many people today, is or has been affected by these mindless drugged up thugs whose sole intention is to make respectable, decent peoples' lives a misery or you would simply like to register your utter disgust at the severity of Stephen's sentence, please show your support by signing the petition below.

The collated petitions will be passed on to Mr. Ian Davidson, MP and Mr John Lamont MSP, both we hope will urge the Justice Minister Mr Kenny MacAskill, MSP to review Stephen's case immediately and take appropriate remedial action.

Stephen's wife Dorothy and their children are extremely grateful for all the support they have received over the past week however perhaps by adding your name to this petition you will convince the authorities to take the correct action and that their husband and dad will be home with them soon.

Your support is very much appreciated.
 
From BBC Scotland - a less biased report of the incident:

Motorist ran down knife attacker

Armstrong had caught two youths writing graffiti the previous day
A motorist who ran down a man who confronted him with a knife and baton has been jailed for three years and eight months.
Stephen Armstrong, 47, was sitting in his people carrier in Glasgow when the 22-year-old man pulled out the weapons and smashed a window of the vehicle.

Father-of-eight Armstrong accelerated the people carrier into his attacker, leaving him seriously injured.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Armstrong admitted assaulting the man.

The court was told that the day before the incident on 12 April, 2007 , Armstrong had challenged two youths he had caught painting gang slogans on a fence near his home in Glasgow's Southpark Village.

You were entitled to be angry. You were entitled to be affronted. But you were not entitled to respond by wielding your vehicle as a weapon

Lady Smith

One of the youths returned the next day with the 22-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who was later run down by Armstrong.

Passing sentence, judge Lady Smith told Armstrong she had no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence and said she would have sentenced him to five years, but for his guilty plea.

She added: "There seems no doubt he presented weapons at you and he deliberately broke a window in your van.

"You were entitled to be angry. You were entitled to be affronted. But you were not entitled to respond by wielding your vehicle as a weapon at him in the way you did."

Gang slogans

The victim suffered a broken leg and collar bone and punctured lung and spent over six weeks in hospital after Armstrong mounted the pavement in his vehicle and drove it into him as he stood in nearby bushes.

The former publican was originally charged with attempted murder, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the reduced charge.

Defence solicitor advocate Maurice Smyth told the court that Armstrong said he lived in "a respectable, residential area where people take a real interest in their families and property".

But he said youngsters had filtered in from other areas and would meet at stairs which he said had become "a meeting place for all sorts of ne'er-do-wells, drinkers and drug takers".

As often happens in these cases involving residents and vandals, trouble comes to the resident

Maurice Smyth
Solicitor Advocate

He said on the day before the attack, Armstrong was at home when he learnt that boys were painting gang slogans such as "Welcome to Hell" and "Southsey Rules" on a perimeter fence.

He explained the situation to the father of one of the boys who told him he would take care of it. The boy, under his parent's supervision, began painting over the graffiti.

But the following day, as Armstrong was preparing to leave home, he saw the other boy with the older man, who appeared under the influence of drink or drugs, in his street.

Mr Smyth said of Armstrong: "He was someone going about his lawful business when there was an encounter with these people. He did not seek trouble and he did not look for trouble that night.

"As often happens in these cases involving residents and vandals, trouble comes to the resident."
 
'
Stephen Armstrong, 47, was sitting in his people carrier in Glasgow when the 22-year-old man pulled out the weapons and smashed a window of the vehicle. '
even this sounds very very scarey/ out of order, what would you do it this situation?
 
[ QUOTE ]
'
Stephen Armstrong, 47, was sitting in his people carrier in Glasgow when the 22-year-old man pulled out the weapons and smashed a window of the vehicle. '
even this sounds very very scarey/ out of order, what would you do it this situation?

[/ QUOTE ]

I posted the article to redress the balance, not necessarily to agree/disagree, as the original post lacked objectivity and used emotive words to influence the reader.
But...I've lived in Glasgow, and I know how to avoid trouble, not look for it. There is a strong knife culture there...one would be a fool to look for confrontation. Driving away would have been the best solution, then calling the police.
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grin.gif
 
Don't dare fight back, don't protect your family, your house, your neighborhood, your life...be a sheep, the drugged-out YOBs have all the rights.

OAPs are mugged or afraid to leave their house, horses are mutilated...who cares, we must protect the scum in our midst.

"Driving away would have been the best solution"....don't forget to say, "baaaaah!" and wet yourself, this may make the criminals feel better about themselves so you won't get into trouble.

Amazing & Sad.
 
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