TS was glad to see recent government guidance on dealing with intruders meant it was OK to kill burglars - in the right circumstances.

After all, a lot of money had been invested in the infra-red laser-guided machine-gun and RPG launcher at home. But cruelly, it now seems it's also fine to knock seven bells out of your accountant - in the right circumstances.

Company director John Cowie recently walked free from Paisley Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to assaulting his accountant. Cowie, of Bearsden in Glasgow, laid into John Stewart after finding out he faced fines of £1,589 from Companies House because the firm had lost his paperwork. Cowie's actions, however, did not even merit a fine.

So if discipline by your institute for shoddy work doesn't put the frighteners on you, perhaps the potential arrival of an angry client with a set of knuckle-dusters will.