If you commit a crime and enter a church for sanctuary, can you not be arrested whileever you are in that?

Question

church? And does this apply to other religious buildings?

Is that in America or Britain or both, where sanctuary is not recognised?

LOL Dr rodge. Just curious, thats all. I'm totally innocent guv, honest!

Answer 1

There is no legal precedent of sanctuary in religious buildings. In the 1980's a Sri Lankan by the name of Viraj Mendis was hiding in a church in Manchester and fighting deportation. Early one morning the police knocked the door down and dragged him out in handcuffs then drove him to Manchester Airport and straight on the next plane to Sri Lanka. And he didnt really committ any crimes apart from overstaying his welcome!!

Answer 2

1. Criminal law does not recognise church land as being a sanctuary
2. Constitutional law recognises a 'state' church in the UK as the Anglican Communion, but this does not impinge on criminal law.
3. In the US there is a constitutional division of state and religioun (though some have forgotten this recently)
4. Law enforcement agencies generally try to afford alleged criminals opportunity to surrender (offer of peaceful solution at Waco and various sieges/hostage situations in UK) before reverting to violent assertion of legal process
5. Who would decide which church offered sanctuary? Would be it be Anglican, Presbyterian, Muslim, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindii etc, etc. The factional nature of religion is such that each believes they are the only correct believers, and as such may offer sanctuary from the terrestrial bound laws.
6. Don't commit the crime and there is no need for sanctuary
7. If you commit crime of blasphemy don't seek sanctiary in church...when a fatwa was issued against Salman Rushdie and Danish cartoonists churches across world gave only soft condemnation of the death threats, but said people shouldn't critcise religion...

Answer 3

IF A PERSON BEING PURSUED AS A SUSPECT IN A CRIME, S/HE CAN BE PURSUED AND ARRESTED IN A CHURCH or any other building owned by a religious group.

The only building offering any probability of sanctuary would be, possibly, a Foreign Embassy (of a nation that does not extradite with your country) and only to citizens of their country and, probably, depending on the crime for which the person is being pursued.

Ones best chance to evade pursuit and arrest is to get into a country that would not extradite them back to their country, and we say good riddance.

Answer 4

You can still be arrested, That rule went out with the middle ages in UK. Because of the emotional thinking police are reluctant to do so but will if needs be. The church itself can be charged with impeding an arrest or some similar charge

Answer 5

Lol the police would probably put 3 miles of plice tape around the church then maybe 200 police officers will stand there then they will storm it but first they will have to make sure theres no illegals inside otherwise they would have to consult equal rights lawyers.

Answer 6

If you have or are suspected of having committed a crime, you can be arrested anywhere. There is no sanctuary law in the United Kingdom, so turn yourself in now.

Answer 7

The law of the land does not end the moment you enter a church or any other religious place

Answer 8

Sanctuary is not recognized in this country, however, law enforcement tries to get someone to come out usually for a long period of time, before they storm the place.

Answer 9

Police does not raid churches willy nilly. That will be a crime and tyranny. A negotiation to surrender is the course of action.

Answer 10

You can still be arrested.

Sanctuary has no legal standing in this country.

The reason that - for example - ICE sometimes let's illegals stay in a church instead of going in after them is pure PR - there is no LEGAL reason for it.

Richard