Aussies want lethal American-style law to protect home from intruders (2024)

Queenslanders have thrown their support behind a bill that would allow homeowners to potentially kill intruders.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) introduced the US-style Castle Law to the state parliament on June 11, which would allow residents to take the drastic measures.

Figures issued last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that a shocking 289,657 Queenslanders had been the victims of crime in 2023.

'If an intruder enters a home or dwelling illegally, the occupier should be able to use all reasonable force repercussions to defend themselves without legal repercussions,' KAP leader Robbie Katter said.

More than 40,000 Queenslanders have since signed a petition calling for them to be allowed to kill home intruders without legal consequence.

But not everyone agrees, with both legal professionals and victims of crime expressing doubts about the bill.

The Queensland Law Society (QLS) slammed the KAP proposal, saying it is 'terrifying' and based on a misunderstanding of the existing law.

QLS told the Cairns Post that state law already allows people to use guns in self-defence against criminals and the proposed bill 'won't fix the current issues we are seeing with property invasions and must be denounced'.

Townsville mum Asti Savage, 44, who has been the victim of multiple crimes, also has her doubts about KAP's bill.

She became a paraplegic after being hit by a drunk driver in a stolen car in 2001, and years later was shot at through her window by a man who was convicted, but found to be insane.

And just last month Ms Savage was the victim of a home invasion, where her bag was stolen as she sat in her chair.

Her car was also stolen while the youths responsible taunted her over the theft.

Despite all she has endured over more than two decades, she offered words of caution about the Castle Law bill.

'People should be able to protect themselves, but if we start to arm ourselves, then they are going to start arming themselves and it will get out of hand,' she said.

'If someone comes at me in my wheelchair to steal my bag, I think it should be legal for me to use mace but I don't think it should be a gun allowed in that instance.'

Lawyer Dan Creevey said there is a lot of misinformation about the existing Queensland laws and what the Castle Law bill proposes.

'Unfortunately, the bill will allow for a form of murder without legal recourse in circ*mstances where there may be no direct threat to a person's life,' he said.

'Ultimately, the Bill is a dangerous response to crime in Queensland.'

Such laws in the US have been linked to a huge number of shocking incidents, including where a black teenagerwas shot in the head and arm after mistakenly knocking on the wrong door.

Ralph Yarl,knocked on the door of Andrew Lester, a white man, who shot him twice with a revolver in June 2023.

Mr Yarl, who had been looking to collect his twin younger brothers but went to the wrong house, was left with 'permanent injuries' and his family has filed a civil lawsuit against Mr Lester in Missouri.

The latest Queensland crime statistics came as the state faced a youth crime crisis highlighted by a report published by the state's auditor-general.

The report found 55 per cent of all youth crime in the state from 2022-23 had been committed by 'serious repeat offenders'.

It also reported the average daily number of serious repeat offenders had jumped by 64 per cent from 278 in 2018-19 to 457 in 2022-23.

Queensland's Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath acknowledged the people who had signed the petition calling for a law change, but said there were no plans to review the state's self-defence laws.

But with Labor predicted to lose the state election just over three months from now, the KAP bill is likely to be reintroduced later this year.