Cases Flashcards
R v Miller
D created dangerous situation which created a duty to act
R v Church
D will be liable if the entire incident viewed as a whole could be viewed as a series of events designed to cause death or GBH. Elements of the offence will be satisfied provided AR and MR occur somewhere during a single transaction.
R v White
Factual causation - “but for” test
Whether V would have died if it wasn’t for the act of D? Not in this case. D not liable.
R v Pagett
Legal causation
D’s act need not be the sole cause or even the main cause of death provided that it contributed significantly to that result.
R v Jordan
Legal causation - unless palpably wrong treatment (medical interventions)
R v Cheshire
D liable even if negligent treatment (inevitable misdiagnosis and routine errors) as D caused V to necessitate medical treatment
R v Roberts
The chain of causation will be broken only if V’s actions were “so daft” as to be unforeseeable
Blaue
Think skull rule - take V as you find him, characteristics that make V vulnerable.
JW, blood transfusion
R v Pittwood
Contract - close gates - forgot - train - death
A person under contact will be liable for harmful consequences of his failure to perform his contractual obligations. Duty extends to those reasonably affected by the omission, not just the other party to the contract.
Evans
Prior dangerous act
Mother, daughter, sister, drugs
Omission
No liability, except when duty to act!
Cato
D’s conduct must be a culpable cause
Instan
Prior agreement to support
Aunt and niece
Kennedy No 2
Free deliberate and informed act of third party will break the chain of causation.
Self-injection of drugs by V
Santana-Bermudez
Child-ignored-cliff-fall (omission)
Stone and Dobinson
Voluntary assumption of care
Anorexia, not fed, death
Close blood relationship
Gibbins&Proctor
Child-starved-death
Close blood relationships
R v Woolin
TEST FOR OBLIQUE INTENTION AND VIRTUAL CERTAINTY
A jury may find that D intended the outcome if it was a virtually certain consequence of his actions and he realised this was the case
R v Cunnigham
Test for recklessness in offences NOT involving criminal damage
The particular D must foresee that a particular type of harm might be done and yet ha gone on to take the risk of it, rather than an ordinary person (subjective test)
R v G
Children, tesco, trash, fire
Test for recklessness only in offences involving criminal damage
A person acts recklessly with respect to:
A) a circumstance when he is aware of a risk that exists or will exist
B) a result when he is aware of a risk that it will occur;
And it is in the circumstances known to him, unreasonable to take the risk (subj test)
Latimer
Transferred malice, if AR matches, MR may be transferred
Battery to another
R v Griffen
Psychological commitment in attempt
Children - mother - kidnap
Attempt
More than merely preparatory
Gullefer
Merely preparatory act comes to an end and the proper crimes commences
Mohan
Irrelevant whether consequence of attempt is different (PC - drive - off - attempt - ABH)
R v Jackson
CONSPIRACY - specified course of conduct
Contingent plan to commit an offence if it was necessary (or possible) was still a plan to commit an offence.
Re AG’s Reference (No 1 of 1975)
AL
Procuring implies causation not consensus
Abetting and counselling imply consensus not causation
Aiding requires actual assistance but neither consensus nor causation
R v Bainbridge
D must know the type of crime (not the setting) so knowing that the cutting equipment was going to be use for burglary would suffice to establish MR for secondary liability
Maxwell v DPP for Northern Ireland
Foresight of a range of possible offences would be enough, precise nature of the offence is not needed
Driver - terrorists - pub
R v Rook
Withdrawal of participation
There is no requirement that a persona actually be present at the commission of the crime in order to attract accessorise liability