Matt Stadlen shocked by caller's severe proposal for dealing with crime

19 January 2020, 08:33 | Updated: 19 January 2020, 18:06

Matt Stadlen couldn't believe the caller was being serious about wanting to remove the hands of criminals.

The caller, Hussein, said: "I think you're onto something because this situation of robbery and crime and burglary is totally gone out of hand.

"The only way to solve this problem is to set a precedent and I will go as far as saying that if, you know, a burglar is being caught and with the relevant evidence is and through the trial and court, then any state if the burglar is proven to be guilty, then I believe that a precedent should be set.

"In the sense that, you know, the court should allow for maybe a hand or a number of fingers to be surgically removed, in order to let everybody else know that it's, you know, a crime has been committed. A hideous crime."

He preferred this to putting someone in prison because it is "draining the resources of the rest of us by putting them in prison."

Hussein said again: "If the crime is serious then, yeah, surgically remove one of their hands to let them know that this is something that we're not tolerant of."

Matt Stadlen was left gobsmacked.

He said: "I don't know if you're having me on, Hussein?"

Matt later continued: "I just can't understand how you can seriously propose, either morally, ethically, or pragmatically, that we cut people's hands off in this country. I can't really believe you're being serious, Hussein."