Case Law Flashcards
Hill v Baxter?
Actus reus - involuntary acts
- man caused a car crash, claimed he couldn’t remember anything therefore he was voluntarily committing the offence. found guilty
Gibbins v Proctor?
Actus reus - duty because of relationship
- father and his girlfriend allowed 7 year old daughter to starve to death
Stone & Dobinson?
Actus reus - duty taken on voluntarily
- Stone’s sister came to live with the 2 defendants, she was anorexic and when the 2 failed to get medical help for her, the sister died.
Pittwood?
Actus reus - a contractual duty
- a railway crossing keeper failed to shut the crossing gates while having his lunch. a cart crossing the line was stuck and a man was killed.
Dytham?
Actus reus - duty as a result of public position
- a policeman witnessed an attack on the victim and failed to act to help them.
Miller?
Actus reus - duty created by a chain of events
- a squatter fell asleep and his cigarette caused a mattress to set alight. he simply moved to another room and took no action.
Road traffic act?
Actus reus - statutory duty
- failure to stop at a road accident, failure to give a breathalyser sample, failure to wear a seatbelt.
Cheshire?
Substantive & operating cause
- victim was shot and had trachotomy, he died several months later from complications, the defendant was still liable.
Smith?
Substantive & operating cause
- 2 soldiers fighting, one was stabbed and then dropped twice on the way to hospital and receives poor treatment.
White?
Factual causation
- the defendant wanted to kill his mother so he put cyanide in her drink, she died of a heart attack before she drank it, wasnt guilty.
Pagett?
Factual causation
- defendant kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend and held her as a shield when asked to surrender, he shot police so police fired and killed the girlfriend, d was convicted of manslaughter.
Williams?
Victims own acts
- defendant picked up a hitchhiker who he tried to rob, so the victim jumped from the car whilst moving and sustained injuries.
Roberts?
Victims own acts
- a girl was a passenger and the defendant made sexual advances so she jumped from the car, man found guilty as it was a reasonable action.
Blaue?
Thin skull rule
- victim was stabbed, was a Jehovah’s witness, refused a blood transfusion and died, doctor was liable
Jordan?
Novus actus interveniens
- victime stabbed, allergic to antibiotics so stopped, a new doctor administered drugs again and died, broke the chain of causation.
Malcherek?
Novus actus interveniens
- d stabbed his wife and went on life support, she was found to be brain dead so it was turned off, he was charged.
Mohan?
Mens rea - direct intention
- d was driving his car when a police officer signalled to pullover so he stopped but then accelerated towards the officer.
Woolin?
Mens rea - direct intention
- a man was feeding his young son and the baby started choking so he threw the baby but it missed the pram and it hit the wall, the baby died.
Cunningham?
Mens rea - recklessness
- d broke a prepaid gas meter to steal money, gas leaked into a house.
Fagan?
Contemporaneity rule
- a man driver over a police officers foot without realising, when he did realise he refuses to move and swears.
Thabo meli?
Contemporaneity rule
-a man is beaten by a group of people and then thrown of a cliff, he isnt died but eventually dies of exposure
Church?
Contemporaneity rule
- woman and man in a van for sexual reasons, woman mocks him so he attacks her and it knocks her out, he then throws her into a river and she drowns.
Mitchell?
Transferred malice
- a man pushed another man in a queue and he fell on an elderly woman who died later on.
Latimer?
Transferred malice
- the defendant got into a fight and took of his belt to hit the other man with, instead it hit a woman.
Pembleton?
Transferred malice
- the defendant threw a stone intending to hit some people but instead it hit a store and broke a window.
Gammon Ltd v Attorney general?
Strict liability
- the court held that there was a presumption in all crimes that mens rea was required, unless it was specifically stated otherwise
London borough of Harrow?
Strict liability
- the selling of a lottery ticket to a person under the age of 16 was held to be a strict liability offence.
Sweet v Parsley?
Strict liability
- a landlord rented out a cottage and residents then started smoking cannabis, the landlord got charged too.
Alphacell v Woodward?
Strict liability
- defendants charge £20 for allowing polluted water to discharge into a river.
Smedleys v Breed?
Strict liability
- the d’s were charged under the food and drugs act 1955 when one tine of peas out of a million was found to contain a caterpillar.
Logdon?
Actus reus - an act
- d was joking when he pointed a gun in v’s face but she took it seriously and was very scared.
Smith?
Actus reus - an act
- a man was staring at a women through her window, she screamed and feared violence even though she was safe in her flat.
Ireland?
Actus reus - an act
- silent phone calls which caused psychiatric injury was deemed to be an assault.
Constanza?
Actus reus - an act
- the d sent 812 letters to v, this was sufficient to be classed as an assault.
Lamb?
Actus reus - apprehension
- d+v were messing around with a gun they both believed to be unloaded so no fear of violence, v was shot and killed, d wasnt guility.
Collins + Wilcock?
Actus reus - battery
- a police officer believed a women was a prostitute so grabbed her, classed as battery.
Thomas?
Actus reus - battery
- a school caretaker took hold of the hem of a girls skirt, touching someones clothes is as bad as actually touching them.
Haystead?
Actus reus - battery (indirect)
- the d punched his girlfriend, causing her to drop her baby. he was convicted of battery on the baby.