Criminal liability Flashcards
Assault (simple assault/technical assault/common assault):
Assailant intentionally OR recklessly causes the victim to apprehend immediate AND unlawful personal force.
Assault:
Defendant need to touch the victim?
no
Assault:
unlawful force?
personal violence such as non-consensual contact.
Assault:
Intention?
defendant intended to cause the victim immediate AND unlawful force
Assault:
Recklessness?
defendant foresees the victim might have this result (subjective).
Assault:
Apprehension?
expectation of unlawful force (not fear) is required.
Assault - Apprehension
No violence, touching, injury, OR harm needs to be caused.
Correct?
yes
Assault:
Assault by words OR silence?
words alone OR silence can amount to assault
Assault - mens rea
Assault by words OR silence?
To cause the victim to apprehend immediate AND unlawful personal force
Assault:
Immediacy?
victim MUST apprehend immediate violence, NOT future violence.
Immediate DOESN’T mean instantaneous.
Conditional threats CAN satisfy the immediacy criteria.
Assault:
What type of offence?
sentence?
consent a defence?
Summary only offence.
6 months imprisonment AND/OR fine.
yes
Battery (physical assault/common battery)?
An act OR omission which always involves a physical contact between assailant AND victim.
Infliction of unlawful personal force.
Battery (physical assault/common battery) -
Unlawful force?
Examples?
infliction of unlawful personal force.
physical contact hitting, pushing etc (with or without a weapon), throwing an object, spitting, OR setting a dog on the person.
Battery:
Intention?
intentionally inflicting unlawful force NOT just apprehension
Battery:
Recklessness?
defendant foresees that he might apply unlawful force (subjective).
Battery:
Harm?
even the slightest, most trivial touch will do.
DON’T need to establish harm.
Battery:
Recklessness?
defendant foresees that he might apply unlawful force (subjective).
Battery:
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Consent a defence?
Summary only offence.
6 months imprisonment AND/OR fine.
yes
s.47, OAPA 1861 (assault occasioning actual bodily harm):
Assault OR battery occasioning actual bodily harm.
The harm MUST amount to actual bodily harm (aggravated assault/battery).
s.47, OAPA 1861:
Assault OR battery?
Either of these has occured
AND
harm has been caused to the victim.
s.47, OAPA 1861:
What must be proven for assault?
mens rea of assault.
s.47, OAPA 1861 -
assault?
Intending the victim to cause the apprehension of unlawful force
OR
Foreseeing that the victim might be caused such apprehension.
s.47, OAPA 1861:
Occasioning?
causing harm
s.47, OAPA 1861:
Battery?
MUST prove mens rea of battery.
Intention
OR
subjective recklessness as to whether unlawful force will be applied.
s.47, OAPA 1861:
Actual bodily harm?
any hurt OR injury calculated to interfere with the health OR comfort of the victim.
Includes psychiatric harm BUT NOT fear, distress, OR panic.
No need to show defendant intended additionally to cause actual bodily harm.
Need ONLY…
intend OR be reckless as to the assault OR battery.
s.47, OAPA 1861:
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Consent a defence?
Either way offence.
5-year imprisonment (max).
no
s.20, OAPA 1861 (wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm):
unlawfully AND maliciously wounding OR inflicting any grievous bodily harm.
s.20, OAPA 1861:
Grievous bodily harm?
really serious harm (e.g., fractured skull, internal injuries, broken limbs, broken cheek, ribs, serious psychiatric harm etc).
s.20, OAPA 1861:
Maliciously?
intentionally OR recklessly as to actual bodily harm.
s.20, OAPA 1861:
Wounding?
breaking of both layers of the skin (e.g., cut, scratch with blood).
NOT bruising OR internal bleeding.
s.20, OAPA 1861:
MUST the defendant intend or foresee some harm NOT NECESSARY…
to prove defendant intended OR foresaw really serious harm.
s.20, OAPA 1861:
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Consent a defence?
Either way offence.
5-year imprisonment (max).
no
s.18, OAPA 1861 (wounding or causing grievous bodily harm with intent):
wounding OR causing grievous bodily harm WITH intent to resist
OR prevent the lawful apprehension
OR detention of any person.
s.18, OAPA 1861:
Grievous bodily harm?
really serious harm (e.g., fractured skill, internal injuries, broken limbs, broken cheek, ribs, serious psychiatric harm etc).
s.18, OAPA 1861:
Intention to cause grievous bodily harm?
MUST intend to cause grievous bodily harm.
Intention to cause a lesser wound WILL NOT suffice
OR
Intention to resist OR prevent arrest – defendant intended to resist/prevent lawful arrest
AND
Intended OR foresaw some actual bodily harm would be caused.
s.18, OAPA 1861:
Wounding?
breaking of both layers of the skin (e.g., cut, scratch with blood).
NOT bruising OR internal bleeding.
s.18, OAPA 1861:
Intention to resist OR prevent arrest?
defendant intended to resist/prevent lawful arrest
AND
Intended OR foresaw some actual bodily harm would be caused.
s.18, OAPA 1861:
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Consent a defence?
Indictable only offence.
Life imprisonment (max).
no
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving.
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
Appropriate?
any assumption of rights of the owner
e.g., sells, hires, destroys etc.
defendant need to assume any one right.
Including later appropriation – person comes by the property WITHOUT stealing BUT later keeps OR deals with it as an owner.
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
Dishonesty?
not dishonest if person believes
* He has the legal right to the property.
OR
* Has the owner’s consent
OR
* Owner can’t be found taking reasonable steps.
Person can be dishonest EVEN THOUGH they are willing to pay.
Guidance on honesty set out in Ivey v Genting Casinos, where a test for dishonesty was applied?
Subjective – what was the person’s knowledge OR belief OR belief of as to the facts?
AND
Objective – was the person’s conduct dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people?
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
Property?
includes money, real property, personal property, things in action, AND other intangible property.
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
Belonging to another?
includes ownership, possession, control, AND a proprietary interest in the property.
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
Intention to permanently deprive?
ordinary meaning applied.
IF borrowing OR lending can amount to deprive if person treats the property as his own REGARDLESS of the owner’s rights.
s.1 TA 1968 (theft):
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Either way offence.
7-years imprisonment (max).
s.8 TA 1968 (robbery):
person is guilty of robbery IF he steals AND immediately before OR at the time of doing so,
he uses force on any person OR puts any person in fear of being subject to force.
Robbery is theft + force =
Aggravated theft
Which two elements of theft need to be present?
Actus Reus
Mens Rea
s.8 TA 1968 (robbery):
Force used OR threatened?
question of fact for the jury.
MUST be more than negligible BUT need not be serious.
NEED NOT be directed at the person to whom the property belongs BUT any person.
s.8 TA 1968 (robbery):
Force or threats made immediately before or at the time of the theft?
use OR threat of force MUST generally be simultaneous with the act of theft to constitute robbery
AND MUST be to steal.
NO ADDITIONAL mens rea for the force element.
s.8 TA 1968 (robbery):
What type of offence?
Sentence?
Indictable only offence.
Life imprisonment
OR an unlimited fine
OR both.
s.9 TA 1968 (burglary):
s.9(1)(a)?
entering a building OR part of a building as a trespasser with intent to commit theft, grievous bodily harm, OR criminal damage
s.9 TA 1968 (burglary):
s.9(1)(b)?
having entered a building OR part of a building as a trespasser,
stealing/attempting to steal OR inflicting/attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm.
When is s.9(1)(a) committed?
at the point of entry
When is s.9(1)(b) committed?
at the point of ulterior offence is committed.