A man has been jailed for causing injury to two armed men when they attempted to burgle his home - while they were spared prison.
Adam White, 34, from Eggington in the UK, was jailed in February for 22 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he ran Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25, off the road.
On November 28, his story was spotlighted on 24 Hours in Police Custody on Channel 4 and prompted outrage from viewers who said they were shocked by his conviction - while the would-be burglars received suspended sentences.
Since the latest episode of the TV series aired, White said he had received "kind words and heartfelt sympathy" from members of the public on social media.
Read White's tweets below:Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Thank you to everyone for your kind words and heartfelt sympathy we have been through an awful lot, it was hard seeing this on TV, and with all the messages I've received has been amazing and very emotional I honestly can't believe the public is behind me #24hoursinpolicecustody."
"This is unreal the support from everyone. My wife has just told me some people have set up a go fund me, and it honestly breaks my heart. Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart, I'm lost for words," he added in a second tweet.
As White mentioned, a GoFundMe page called "Give Adam White Justice" has been set up, which has received more than £95,663 ($114,000) in donations (at the time of writing), surpassing its initial goal of £50,000 ($59,500).
According to the Mirror, the criminals are now suing White's car insurers for £1 million ($1,200,000) because of the fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and broken bones they sustained after being run off the road.
While White was handed 22 months in prison at Luton Crown Court, Paul and Benford were given suspended sentences and 200 hours of community service at the same court.
As reported by LBC, following the criticism online, Bedfordshire Police shared a statement saying that the policing and wider criminal justice system "undoubtedly" divides opinion.
"Policing and the wider criminal justice system divides opinion and undoubtedly tonight’s episode of 24 hours in Police Custody will have done just that," a spokesperson said.
"Having determined this, the police are required to build an evidential case to submit to the CPS for consideration of whether there is sufficient evidence and where the public interest lies," they continued.
The spokesperson said the criminal duo "pleaded guilty to the attempted burglary" while White "was found guilty by a jury," therefore, recognizing that both parties "bore substantial responsibility themselves for their injuries".
"Our officers work incredibly hard to put criminals before the courts and disrupt their activities, but we know that the outcomes received do not always tell the full story," they explained.
"In this case, there were no winners. This episode is an important reminder that people must not take the law into their own hands. Such actions can have enormous consequences," they added.
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