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Law of Torts.doc
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III) Defence of a Third Person

There is no appellate authority on the scope of the privilege to use reasonable force to defend a third person from violence or the threat of immediate violence but the defence has been recognized at the trial level. This is not surprising given the general attitude to, and approval of, rescuers. The factors taken into account in determining the reasonableness of the force mirror those considered in determining self- defence. Gambriell v. Caparelli [Note 92: (1974), 7 O.R. (2d) 205 (Co. Ct.).] is an exemplary case. The defendant's son and the plaintiff got into a brawl in a back lane. The defendant, who did not speak English, feared that her son was being choked. The fight ended when she hit the plaintiff over the head with a garden cultivator. In the particular circumstances of the case, more moderate conduct may well have been insufficient to protect her son. The action in battery against her was dismissed.

iv) Defence of Property

In some circumstances the possessor of land may use physical force to protect his property from unlawful entry (trespass) by another. When the unlawful entry is peaceable, the possessor must first request the trespasser to leave the premises. If the trespasser refuses to comply with the request to leave, reasonable force may be used to eject him from the property. The possessor is not required to make a preliminary request that the trespasser leave where the entry is forcible or is such as to create a fear of immediate violence. Force may be used only for the purpose of removing the intruder. If the intruder resists, force may be increased as required to eject the trespasser. Under no circumstances, however, may a possessor use deadly force or deliberately cause serious injury to a trespasser who will not leave the property. The protection of property interests does not warrant causing death or serious injury. The possessor must justify that kind of force on the basis of either self- defence or the defence of a third party.

The law is less clear in respect of injuries caused by mechanical devices and other stratagems designed to protect property and to deter intruders. A thicket of intersecting principles bears on this issue, including the privilege to defend one's property, occupiers'liability rules, rules about the liability for animals such as guard dogs, and the rules about consent, contributory negligence, and illegality. Until this tangle is sorted out by an authoritative court, the best guide is reasonableness. The use of barbed wire, guard dogs, fences with spikes, and stone walls with jagged glass embedded on top will in most cases be regarded as reasonable deterrence, and intruders will not be able to recover for the minor injuries caused by them. The use of punitive or retributive devices such as spring guns, electrically charged wire fences, vicious attack dogs, and other devices that seriously threaten life and limb are normally unreasonable and liability may be imposed. The marginal cases require a careful consideration of all the relevant factors, including the time of day of the intrusion, the nature and purpose of the intrusion, the danger and degree of concealment of the protective device, the nature of the land use being protected, the motive of the possessor of the land, and any posted notices warning of the protective system.

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