013 Flashcards
Define R v Tarei? #
Withdrawal of any form of life support system is not “treatment” under s166 Crimes Act 1961. To withdraw life support does not cause death but removes the possibility of extending the person’s life through artificial means.
What was held in R v Kamipeli? #
It does not have to be shown that the defendant was incapable of forming the mens rea, merely that, because of their drunken state, they did not have the proper state of mind to be guilty
for intoxication to succeed as a defence, all you need to establish is reasonable doubt about the defendant’s required state of mind at the time of the offence. This is different to what is in the cue cards floating around.
Define R v Cox?
Consent must be full, voluntary, free and informed, freely and voluntarily given by a person in a position to form a rational judgement.
What was held in R v Mane? #
For a person to be an accessory the offence must be complete at the time of the criminal involvement. One cannot be convicted of being an accessory after the fact of murder when the actus reus of the alleged criminal conduct was wholly completed before the offence of homicide was completed.
What does R v Myatt state about an unlawful act in respect of section 160(2)(a) of the Crimes Act 1961? #
Before a breach of any Act, regulation or bylaw would be an unlawful act under s 160 for the purposes of culpable homicide] it must be an act likely to do harm to the deceased or to some class of persons of whom he was one
What was held in R v Tomars?
Formulates the issues in the following way:
- Was the deceased threatened by, in fear of or deceived by the accused?
- If they were, did such threats, fear or deception cause the deceased to do the act that caused their death?
- Was the act a natural consequence of the actions of the accused, in the sense that reasonable and responsible people in the accused’s position at the time could reasonably have foreseen the consequences?
- Did these foreseeable actions of the victim contribute in a [significant] way to his death?
Discuss the case R v Forrest & Forrest and outline the case law?
In R v Forrest & Forrest two men were charged with having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl who had run away from Child Welfare custody. At trial the girl produced her birth certificate and gave evidence herself that she was the person named in the certificate.
The men successfully appealed their convictions on the grounds that the Crown had not adequately proved the girl’s age. The best evidence possible in the circumstances should be adduced by the prosecution in proof of the victim’s age.
What was held in R v Ranger? #
If this accused did really think that the lives of herself and her son were in peril because of the deceased, enraged after the struggle, might attempt to shoot them with a rifle near at hand, then it would be going too far, we think, to say that the jury could not entertain a reasonable doubt as to whether a pre-emptive strike with a knife would be reasonable force in all the circumstances.
Explain R v Horry? #
Death should be provable by such circumstances as render it morally certain and leave no ground for reasonable doubt – that the circumstantial evidence should be so cogent and compelling as to convince a jury that upon no rational hypothesis other than murder can the facts be accounted for.
Explanation to why no body is needed for murder – No, a body is not required to prove death of a person has occurred. Death should be provable by such circumstances as render it morally certain and leave no ground for reasonable doubt
What was held in R v Harney? #
“Recklessness means the conscious and deliberate taking of an unjustified risk.
In New Zealand it involves proof that the consequence complained of could well
happen, together with an intention to continue the course of conduct regardless
of risk.”
What was held in R v Cottle? (Burden of Proof of insanity) #
As to degree of proof, it is sufficient if the plea is established to the satisfaction of the jury on a preponderance of probabilities without necessarily excluding all reasonable doubt.
Outline R v BLAUE? #
Those who use violence must take their victims as they find them. “The victim was a Jehovah’s witness and was stabbed several times. Doctors told her she required a blood transfusion however she reused upon religious beliefs and subsequently died the next day. BLAUE tried to appeal the conviction of manslaughter saying her beliefs were contrary to her death however and the refusal was unreasonable however the appeal was dismissed.
What was held in R v Clancy?
“The best evidence as to the date and place of a child’s birth will normally be provided by a person attending at the birth or the child’s mother … Production of the birth certificate, if available, may have added to the evidence but was not essential.”
LAVELLE - What was held in Police v Lavelle? #
It is permissible for undercover officers to merely provide the opportunity for someone who is ready and willing to offend, as long as the officers did not initiate the person’s interest or willingness to so offend. Define
“Entrapment” Entrapment occurs when an agent of an enforcement body deliberately causes a person to commit an offence, so that person can be prosecuted.
In Nz courts have rejected entrapment as a defence per se, preferring instead to rely on the discretion of the trail judge to exclude evidence that would operate unfairly against the defendant.
Outline “M’Naghten’s rules” #
The M’Naghten’s rules ‘or test’ is frequently used to establish whether or not a defendant is insane. It is based on a person ability to think rationally, so that if a person is insane they were acting under such a defect of reason from a disease of the mind that they did not know 1) the nature and quality of their actions and 2) that what they were doing was wrong.
Outline R v Codere? #
The nature and quality of the act means the physical character of the act. The phrase does not involve any consideration of the accused’s moral perception nor his knowledge of the moral quality of the act. Thus a person who is so deluded that he cuts a woman’s throat believing that he is cutting a loaf of bread would not know the nature and quality of his act.
Before a conviction can be obtained for manslaughter, where one of the sections referred to is section 150A (1) of the Crimes Act 1961, what must the prosecution prove? #
A very high degree of negligence or gross negligence
Give an example when murder might be REDUCED to manslaughter even though the accused intended to kill or cause grievous bodily harm?
Mitigating circumstances, such as a suicide pact, reduce what would otherwise be murder to manslaughter, even though the accused may have intended to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.
What is involuntary manslaughter? #
Covers those types of unlawful killing in which the death is caused by an unlawful act or gross negligence. In such cases there has been no intention to kill or to cause grievous bodily harm:
Voluntary Manslaughter – Mitigating circumstances such as a suicide pact reduce what otherwise be murder to manslaughter, even though the defendant may have intended to kill or cause GBH.
Can an organisation (as opposed to a human being) be convicted of murder or manslaughter? Explain your answer.
Murray Wright
No. Because the killing must be done by a human being, an organisation cannot be convicted as the principal offender. Moreover, although an organisation can be convicted as a party to manslaughter, with murder an organisation cannot be convicted as either the principal offender or a party to the offence because it is not possible for an organisation to serve the offence’s mandatory life sentence.
What is the penalty for attempted murder? #
Everyone who attempts to commit murder is liable for a term of imprisonment not exceeding 14 years
In a charge of attempt to murder, what is the Crown required to prove?
When a charge of attempt to murder is made, the Crown must establish the mens rea and actus rea as set out in s72 of the Crimes Act 1961. An intention to kill must be proved.
Why is attempted murder one of the most difficult offences in the crimes act to prove beyond reasonable doubt?
R V Murphy – When proving an attempt to commit an offence it must be shown that the accused’s intention was to commit the substantive offence. For example, in a case of attempted murder it is necessary for the crown to establish an actual intent to kill.
Define “attempts” under sec 72(1) CA61? #
Everyone who, having an intent to commit an offence, does or omits an act for the purpose of accomplishing his object, is guilty of an attempt to commit the offence intended, whether in the circumstances it was possible to commit the offence or not.