Blame the law for our lack of real-life heroes

Sam Taylor is quite right when she said last week that we have bred the ‘hero gene’ out of existence. Recounting the story of how two men abandoned fashion boss Tamara Cincik, who was being attacked by a stranger on a train, Sam notes that our politically correct and litigious cultures are mostly to blame. Why would you even put yourself in the position of defending someone when you could end up facing years of lawsuits and possibly even find yourself out of a job?

N. Sweet, Verwood, Dorset

People might be more inclined to intervene if court sentences for perpetrators were more severe. All too often, violent crime does not result in prison. It appears the more civilised we pretend to be, the more certain elements take advantage. Thomas Salter, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan

I’ll continue to be a ‘hero’ if that’s what it is called. I prefer to call it doing the right thing.

Admittedly, it can be dangerous, but for instance, when I saw an elderly man being physically harassed by more than ten teenagers outside my house, I had to do something. So I called their bluff, acted as if I knew the mother of one of them, and told them I was about to call her.

The man, who said other people had been crossing the

road to avoid the situation, was so grateful. Z. Franks, Clacton-on-Sea

A one-on-one situation with an attacker is risky because they may have a knife. But when there are two of you, the odds are very much in your favour and these men really should have intervened. That’s our responsibility as citizens but the judiciary also has a responsibility to put people like the attacker behind bars to protect the public.

S. Buck, High Wycombe

I am from a generation raised to fight bullying. This has nothing to do with heroism – it is to do with right and wrong. The two men on the train may have considered their position in our upside-down country and felt they would be in the wrong if they stepped in.

T. Wilkinson, Dibden, Hampshire

If you live in a small area where you know everybody, you are more likely to come to the aid of a neighbour who was being attacked. However, I wouldn’t risk getting stabbed for a stranger. Name and address supplied

Very often you hear of people who defend themselves ending up in court. What happens if you intervene and cause someone grievous bodily harm? Months of turmoil and stress waiting for your court case, that’s what. If you want to reinstate the ‘hero gene’, then make the law a lot clearer when it comes to defending your property or someone else.

Gavin Pope, Nottingham