Unwelcome visitor :(

[Kit-Ginevra]

About 4.30 on Sunday morning I was woken by a noise outside-thought it was the neighbour returning as she works nights.Next thing,something is banging at the window and then...a MAN appears through the window and lands in my bedroom.

His first greeting was 'Who the hell are you?'-Er..This is my house,I live and sleep here.Now who the hell are you?' At which point,he mutters about 'not realizing it wasn't empty' and disappears out the window.
By the time I've leapt up,got something to wear on,grabbed phone and keys,he is making a run for it.Managed to chase him all down the street before he disappeared.He'd have got away too had he not stopped at a side road to snoop around the vans parked there.
And dear Sir,we also have-the cigarettes that you dropped,your lighter and you on CCTV lurking by the neighbour's motorbikes.And when the lights came on,you looked up startled,giving us a big beaming grin to identify you by.

It was a shame you put your foot through the stereo speaker however I feel we made up for it when you crashed shins-first into the big long mirror that sits behind the curtains to trap the unwary.
And if you wanted somewhere to sleep for the night,I recommend either-the park or the beach,given that we're 20 yards from the sea and it's 90 degrees out.
Ah well,at least everyone is safe and sound and he didn't go into the house next door which has kids sleeping there.If anyone wants a spare drunken lout,he's all yours...

[Amina516]

I'm sorry. That's a scary situation. Were the police called?

[Food Lady]

Ugh. Glad I live on the second floor. Purposely.

[MoonCat]

Holy shit that's scary. Glad you're okay! He's an idiot. If he's really homeless I sympathize, but come on. You don't just pick a house and climb inside!

[Kit-Ginevra]

Yes-police were called-once he'd exited the window,did 999 as I pursued him down the road.They have him now-so he will have got his wish for a nice comfy place to spend the night.With company and a breakfast appearing through the hole in the door.

[Pixilated]

Good gawds ... as a longtime apartment dweller (like Food Lady, always above the ground floor) that's something that creeps me out a little about living in a house. That must've been one scary moment for you. Thank goodness he was just looking for a place to crash -- and he should count himself lucky you didn't have a weapon at hand.

[Gravekeeper]

Dear Lord, anyone coming through my bedroom window would be met with wild sword flailing until such a time as they fled or stopped moving. Mainly cus coming through my bedroom window means landing right on my bed. >.>

[XCashier]

That is scary, and could've ended very badly. I'm so glad you weren't hurt.

[kpzra]

And some people wonder why I sleep with a loaded pistol on my nightstand next to my head.

[mathnerd]

And some people wonder why I sleep with a loaded pistol on my nightstand next to my head.

I might have had a small issue trying to explain why the intruder had a bullet hole in his head.

[AccountingDrone]

I might have had a small issue trying to explain why the intruder had a bullet hole in his head.

Castle Doctrine.

[Geek King]

Castle Doctrine.

If they dial 999, then they live in a less, er, progressive country where Castle Doctrine is not the law of the land.

[kpzra]

If they dial 999, then they live in a less, er, progressive country where Castle Doctrine is not the law of the land.

The OP called 999, the person AccountingDrone quoted lives in Florida (I think I saw a post that said that). Florida has "Stand your Ground" laws on the books.

I would never have chased them though, that is just asking for trouble as your actions now become hostile and if anything happened to them it is no longer self defense. They could be hit by a car and you could be sued by them/their family. Not to mention if they have someone working with them your home is now empty/SO is there alone. Call the police and stay put (why yes, a good friend is a lawyer..lol).

[mathnerd]

The OP called 999, the person AccountingDrone quoted lives in Florida (I think I saw a post that said that). Florida has "Stand your Ground" laws on the books.

I would never have chased them though, that is just asking for trouble as your actions now become hostile and if anything happened to them it is no longer self defense. They could be hit by a car and you could be sued by them/their family. Not to mention if they have someone working with them your home is now empty/SO is there alone. Call the police and stay put (why yes, a good friend is a lawyer..lol).

I do, in fact, live in Florida, where "Stand Your Ground" would apply; however, they still investigate before automatically applying the law.

Edited to address the rest of the quoted post...

I would also not be inclined to chase an intruder. Of course, as previously mentioned, I'd be more inclined to take measures which would render the intruder incapable of running. Also, I have been in that situation before SYG was passed, and it was still ruled self-defense.

[protege]

Here in PA, our castle doctrine has been tweaked a bit. That is, we no longer have to retreat from burglars. You are allowed to defend yourself...and you are also protected if the asshole should decide to sue you afterwards. That is, if Joe Crackhead forces his way into my house, and I blast him with a shotgun, he and/or his family cannot go after me in court.

With that said, my home has heavy security gates over the front and rear doors. The place was broken into before I moved in. The previous owner's grandson forced his way in...so he could steal his grandmother's pain medications. Those gates went in soon after. They're pretty heavy, and would require some serious effort to force open.

Still, if someone did force their way in...they wouldn't get far. That is, they'd get a crowbar upside the head. I'd assume that they were there to do me harm, and I'd do what I had to in order to protect myself.