Arson Flashcards
Intent
Intention to commit the act and get a specific result. A deliberate act or omission. Must be more than involuntary or accidental.
R v Collister
Reckless
The defendant consciously and deliberately ran a risk (subjective test) and that risk was unreasonable in the circumstances (objective test)
Cameron v R and R v Tipple
Damages by fire
Burning or charring, doesn’t have to be set alight
R v Archer
Explosive
s2 Arms Act 1983
Any substance or mixture or combination of substances which in its normal state is capable either of decomposition at such a rapid rate as to result in an explosion or of producing a pyrotechnic effect.
*excludes firearms and fireworks
Property
s2 Crimes Act 1961
Includes real and personal property, and any estate or interest in any real or personal property, (money, electricity), and any debt, and any thing in action, and any other right or interest.
Knowledge
Simester and Brookbanks
Knowing means “knowing or correctly believing”. The defendant may believe something wrongly, but cannot ‘know’ something that is false.
Danger to life
Human life and danger to the life of someone other than the defendant.
Claim of right
s2 Crimes Act 1961
A belief at the time of the act to a proprietary or possessory right in property (belief may be based on ignorance or mistake of fact).
Immovable property
Currently fixed in place and unable to be moved, even though may be possible to make moveable.
Vehicle
s2 Crimes Act 1961
A contrivance equipped with wheels, tracks or revolving runners on which it moves or is moved.
Ship
s2 Crimes Act 1961
Every description of vessel used in navigation, however propelled.
Aircraft
s2 Crimes Act 1961 and Civil Aviation Act 1990
Any machine that can derive support from the air.
Obtain
s217 Crimes Act 1961
Means obtain or retain for him/herself or for any other person.
Benefit
s267 Crimes Act 1961
Benefit means any benefit, pecuniary advantage, privilege, property, service or valuable consideration.
Loss
Financial detriment
R v Morley
Person
Includes companies and organisations.
Sufficiently proximate
Must have taken a ‘real and practical step’ towards committing the offence.
R v Harpur
Attempts
To be guilty of an attempt to commit an offence, a person must intend to commit the offence, and take a real and substantial step towards achieving that aim.
s72 CA61
Immediately and proximately connected with the intended offence.
*Must prove intent to commit the full offence.
R v Collister
Intent can be inferred from actions before/during/after, surrounding circumstances, and the nature of the act itself.
Cameron v R
Real possibility actions would bring proscribed result and that circumstances existed. Actions were unreasonable given the risk.
R v Tipple
Knew risk and deliberate decision to run the risk.
R v Archer
Property damaged if it suffers permanent or temporary physical harm or permanent or temporary impairment of its use or value.
R v Morley
Loss is assessed by the extent to which victims position has been diminished or impaired.