But it let him down at every turn – from the police “hotline” that left him on hold, to the officers who arrested him on suspicion of kidnap and then charged him with assault, to the Crown Prosecution Service that went along with the whole charade.

If policing in this country was carried out properly, Mr McCourt would never have been put through any of this.

Police would have been patrolling the streets, making sure gangs of louts were not allowed to wreak havoc.

Even if it had failed to nip trouble in the bud, a decent constabulary would have answered its phone promptly and dispatched officers to protect him.

Following the murder of Garry Newlove, it is outrageous to hear of police forces giving the benefit of any doubt to marauding youths, rather than adults protecting their property.

In the face of such politically correct nonsense, the only answer is a move to elected police chiefs who will know that
if they do not protect law-abiding residents they will be voted out.

The mother of the youth involved in this case should also hang her head in shame. Her intervention helped her son get away with his yobbery.

When he next resorts to such behaviour let us hope that she, rather than another innocent member of the public, is his chosen victim.