Irish law is a peculiar thing.
I remember a case in Dundalk where a burglar broke into a house while the owners were asleep. The husband woke up and chased him out of the house. The burglar was up 'n over a few fences and thought he'd gotten away. The homeowner got into his car and chased after him. He caught up with him and (ahem) 'stopped' him using his car. Burglar ended up with a few broken bones etc. A few months later, the burglar sued the homeowner for compensation and won. The judge ruled the homeowner should have stopped at his front door when the burglar ran away. Chasing after him and running him over a few times with the car was a big NO NO 
A hero:
‘Frog’ Ward killing: his son is on the run
Now 10 years since farmer Pádraig Nally shot Traveller
The Irish Mail on Sunday12 Oct 2014By Debbie McCann CRIME CORRESPONDENT
debbie.mccann@mailonsunday.ieINNOCENT: Farmer Padraig Nally was cleared of manslaughter
THE son of the Traveller shot dead by farmer Pádraig Nally 10 years ago is on the run from the Midlands Prison, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Tom Ward, 28, son of John ‘Frog’ Ward, was with his father when he broke into Mr Nally’s home, but he has been arrested dozens of times all around the country since then, sources say.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of ‘Frog’ Ward’s death, a case that divided the nation when Mr Nally was prosecuted.
Tom Ward escaped unscathed from Mr Nally, who beat his father ‘like a badger’ and shot him twice, once at point-blank range.
Since the killing – Mr Nally was eventually cleared of manslaughter – Ward has been jailed several times for offences including theft, shoplifting, burglary, possession of drugs and public order.
He is believed to be at large and living in the UK.
His most recent offences include using threatening and abusive behaviour and theft in Longford in 2009 and a public order incident in Cork. He was jailed for these offences, but in May 2012 was granted temporary release from the Midlands Prison. He has been on the run ever since.
A source said: ‘Gardaí believe he is hiding in the UK. He has been off the radar since he fled, but he had been arrested over and over again since his father’s death.’
Mr Nally, 70, from Cross in Co. Mayo, was cleared of manslaughter after shooting dead ‘Frog’ Ward, whom he caught breaking into his home. He had initially been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in jail.
His conviction was later quashed and he was released. ‘Frog’ Ward, 42, a father of 11, died after being shot twice and struck 20 times with
Said he heard a gunshot and panicked
a stick. Tom Ward was the chief prosecution witness at the trial.
He was was serving an 11-month sentence for possessing a knife and theft at the time of the case. He blamed this on turning to drink and drugs after his father’s death.
Ward told the Central Criminal Court that he and his father had called to a farmhouse to see if a car in the driveway might be for sale. He said he had reversed the car into the driveway and waited in the car as his father went to the house.
He said Mr Nally walked up to him and asked: ‘Who has gone in there?’ before walking towards the back of the house.
Ward said he heard a gunshot and he panicked and drove up the road. He claimed that he drove to Headford Garda station to get them to return to the farm. Ward said that following his father’s death, he had tried to commit suicide.
He denied a suggestion that his father was a bare-knuckle boxer, and said that he had no knowledge of a suggestion his father had threatened a garda with a slashhook. Ward also said he was unaware his father had approximately 80 convictions from 38 separate court appearances.
Asked if he was aware of an incident in which his father attacked a car with a slash-hook while a woman and two children were inside, Ward said that this took place after his father witnessed a man exposing ‘his manhood’.
The case led to changes in the law allowing people to take more direct action when defending themselves or their property.
‘My neighbours today are living in fear’
In January, Mr Nally said his neighbours were still living in fear. ‘They’re all living in fear because the crowd that’s going around now, they don’t fear nothing and unless they’re brought to court there’s no penalty on them.
‘It’s a sad state affairs when a man living in his own home has to flee in the middle of the night on a bicycle to a nursing home, to leave his own property and leave his own home,’ he said referring to the case of pensioner Michael McMahon.
Mr McMahon abandoned his home and cycled almost 50km through the night to check himself into a nursing home after he was terrorised by the burglars.
It's their culture y'see:
GALWAY BAY FM NEWS ARCHIVESANOTHER PRISON SENTENCE FOR JOHN FROG WARDS SON CHARLIEPublished 9 years agoon May 21, 2013By Bernie Ni Fhlatharta
Date Published: 25-Apr-2008
The 24 year-old son of John ‘Frog’ Ward, who was shot dead by Mayo farmer Padraig Nally, has pleaded guilty at Galway District Court to burglary and theft offences – all of which occurred within a few hours of each other.
Charlie Ward, of 55 Mostrim Oaks, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, and formerly of Carrowbrowne Halting Site, pleaded guilty to stealing a purse at Galway Shopping Centre, on January 24.
He also pleaded guilty to trespassing on the grounds of a house at Baile an Choiste, Headford Road, the same day and to trespassing at an apartment in the early hours of the following morning, January 25.
