HOME INVASION (SELF-DEFENCE AND DEFENCE OF PROPERTY) BILL, 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
As part of its obligations under the Law Reform Act, Chap; 3:04, the Law Reform Commission undertook an examination of the law relating to home invasion and the means by which the victims of home invasion may lawfully defend themselves, in Trinidad and Tobago.
This webpage serves to provide the public with free and fair access to information about this Law Reform Project. What follows is a summary of the Commission’s policy proposals from its July 2025 Paper titled, Protection Against Home Invasion in Trinidad and Tobago: An Examination of Stand-Your-Ground and Other Self-Defence Laws and the Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Bill, 2025. For more details, you are welcome to read the Paper and the Bill that are found via the link on this page.
HIGHLIGHTS OF COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS
- Establish an offence of home invasion.
- Restrict the application of the offence.
- Create two tiers of penalty upon conviction for the offence: The proposed penalty is five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00 TT) and twenty (20) years imprisonment. Where there existed aggravating factors during a home invasion, the convicted offender faces a fine of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($750,000.00 TT) and twenty-five (25) years imprisonment.
- Establish a statutory right to self-defence during a home invasion for occupants in lawful possession and occupation of a home.
- Establish a statutory right to defence of property during a home invasion for occupants in lawful possession and occupation of a home.
- Establish exceptions to the claim of self-defence and defence of property during a home invasion.
