Contemporaniety Rule Flashcards
What is the contemporaneity rule
The general rule is that the actus reus and the mens rea of a crime must occur at the same time, that they coincide with each other. The defendant is guilty if they perform an act that causes a previously designed result. However the defendant cannot be guilty of an offence if they perform an act that causes a result they wanted a few days pr even hours ago
How has the contemporaneity rule been modified
It has been changed by the courts so that a series of linked acts or events can be treated as a a single continuing act. This establishes the coincidence of actus reus and mens rea
What case illustrates a continuing act
Fagan v Metropolitan Police Commissioner
What is a series of connected acts
Sometimes the continuing act is a series of connected acts/events. Here each individual act or event is part of the continuing act and the mens rea continues throughout.
What cases illustrate a series of connected acts
- Thebo Meli
- Church
