“"Common sense" indeed

If someone you are grappling with tells you they have a knife, a reasonable person would accept that as an immediate threat on their life. At that point, a reasonable person would take any measures available to protect their life. It would seem this shopkeeper lives in a country with unreasonable laws. Using a knife to protect your life, which is in immediate danger, is as reasonable as drawing breath.

I'll take 40 hours of community service and a criminal record over being stabbed.”

“The Shoplifer Shouldnt Even Be On streets Should B In Prison”

“Ruth, then maybe your poor 'victim' of a friend has learned his lesson, hats off to the shopkeeper for defending his property and family from SCUM.”

“I cannot believe the shoplifter who has committed 30 crimes in June alone was not sent to prison. 30 CRIMES IN JUNE ALONE!!!!! This is unbelieveable.”

“I personally commend George for his actions. These young racists thugs should try their luck in Bradford. Then we'd see who is tough.”

“sorry, but totally disagree with most comments here. How many of you post comments week in week out complaining about the thugs, the thieves, the muggers and the anti social behaviour? How many of you complain that nothing is being done to reduce knife crime in this country? granted this man should be allowed to defend his shop and his assets and granted our dire police force and local authority does nothing to re assure people like him and make him feel safe as he carries out his daily work, but for goodness sake, the minute he resorted to using a knife to defend himself (and if reports are to be believed) repeatedly slashed the thief about the face and neck... then Mr Shopkeeper, you instantly lowered yourself to the level of the criminals, thugs and gangs stalking the streets armed to the teeth with all manner of weapons. Knife crime is knife crime pure and simple and just because he is a shopkeeper, he should be treated no differently than anyone else for both carrying and using such a weapon A custodial sentence is not too much to ask in my opinion.”

“i know ryan and i saw how he was after the fact and yes he was wrong to steal but a little bit deeper and ryan would have died he has also turned his life around now we all deserve a chance in life”

“mr pillia should not have admitted anything, he should have been tried by a jury who would have heard all about this scum that attacked and robbeb him and they in all event would have found him not guilty, in my opinion he was badly advised to admit any wrong doing.”

“Whils I don't condone violence I am not surprised that this shopkeeper finally snapped. I worked for a number of years with a woman who ran a corner shop and who was regularily targetted by youths who stole goods from the shop, racially abused her and her staff On one occasion her husband was seriously assaulted by a PYO (he went to prison for this attack by the way), the shopkeeper's husband was only saved the intervention of an 80 year old woman who screamed at the attacker to stop and tried to shield him from the the blows to the head he was receiving. And what did the police do to help this woman? Not a lot really, though in the case of the attack on her husband they did get their man, but all the other attacks, abuse, shoplifting etc, pretty much went nowhere. The shopkeeper was seen as being a "problem woman" by many of the officers who attended her shop over the years, and they did not understand she was suffering terrible trauma from what she had witnessed and what she had to live with on a day to day basis. I watched this lovely woman crumble before my very eyes, this once strong woman was reduced to a gibbering, emotional wreck who eventually sold her business at a huge loss. Unlike Mr Pillal she did not take the law into her own hands but if she had, I would have totally understood why, there comes a point for some people when you "NO MORE!" But when that happens you cease to be the victim and become the offender and you are the one who is arrested, charged and convicted. It's not fair and it's certainly not right and it certainly makes you think when the offender himself is asking why Mr Pillal is being taken to court for defending hiimself in the first place! All I can say is if you have to defend yourself, do it, and then leg it before the police get involved, at least then you will not have the added trauma of being arrested for trying to defend yourself from some racist scum-bag who wants to hurt you and yours!”

“Maybe the amount of times he was slashed was a bit extreme, however, if I caught anyone in my house, I'd do anything to protect me and my children. So, good on you for sticking up for yourself, but next use a baseball bat to knee's!!!”