Defences Flashcards

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1
Q

Self-Defense under Common Law

A

D can use force to protect himself; another person; or property

Force must be:

a. necessary; and
b. reasonable

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2
Q

s3 Criminal Law Act 1967

A

D can use force to prevent a crime

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3
Q

Bailey

A

Left to the jury to decide; results in a full acquittal

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4
Q

Necessary under s76 Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008

A

D can rely on a genuine belief of circumstances even if they were mistaken in their belief the force was necessary, even if the mistake was unreasonable

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5
Q

Williams

A

Ds mistaken belief was allowed

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6
Q

Bird

A

D does not need to show a reluctance to fight

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7
Q

Beckford

A

D can strike first; D can use self-defence where he apprehends an attack

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8
Q

AG’s Ref 2 of 1984

A

D can prepare to defend himself, even if it breaks the law

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9
Q

Reasonable under Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008

A

D may not be able to weigh up the exact measure of necessary action;

but if he was doing what he thought honestly and instinctively necessary then this is strong evidence that reasonable action was taken

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10
Q

Clegg

A

Self-defense will fail if the force used was excessive;

the degree of force used must be measured against the circumstances as D believed them.

the amount of force must be reasonable in the circumstances

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11
Q

s76(5A) CJIA 2008

A

In householder cases, where D is in a dwelling, not a trespasser, and believed V to be a trespasser, the force will be reasonable unless it is grossly disproportionate.

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12
Q

Bratty v AG for NI

A

An act done by the muscles without any control by the mind, such as a spasm, a reflex action or a convulsion; or an act done by a person who is not conscious of what he is doing

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13
Q

A-Gs Ref 2 of 1993

A

There must be a total destruction of voluntary control

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14
Q

Broome v Perkins

A

D must act completely without consciousness or control;

here loss of control whilst driving was intermittent so D still maintained enough control to prevent crash

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15
Q

Hill v Baxter

A

swarm of bees is an external cause

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16
Q

R v T

A

PTSD from rape is an external cause

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17
Q

Whooley

A

sneezing is an external cause

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18
Q

additional external causes

A

effect of a drug, hypnosis, or a blow to the head

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19
Q

Bailey

A

Automatism cannot be self-induced; automatism will fail where D knows his conduct is likely to bring on an automatic state

Insulin is an external cause

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20
Q

Hardie (A)

A

Where basic intent crimes are concerned, automatism may fail where D realises the risk

Automatism allowed as D did not realise risk of valium changing behaviour as did not take it before

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21
Q

M’Naghten Rules

A

Burden of proving insanity on balance of probabilities is on D who must prove:

  1. D had a defect of reason; and
  2. This was caused by a disease of the mind; so that
  3. D either does not know the nature and quality of his act, or does but does not know it was wrong

Complete defense and D will be found ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’

22
Q

Clarke

A

Absent-mindedness or confusion is not enough; D’s powers of reasoning must be impaired/defect of reason

23
Q

Quick

A

The cause must be internal (disease of the mind)

24
Q

Kemp

A

can be mental or physical as long as it affects D’s mind;

condition affecting blood supply to brain causing temporary loss of consciousness is a disease of the mind

25
Q

Sullivan

A

epilepsy is a disease of the mind and can be ‘permanent, transient, or intermittent’

26
Q

Hennessy

A

Diabetes - failing to take insulin is a disease of the mind as internal condition of diabetes affecting D

27
Q

Burgess

A

Sleep disorder causing sleep walking is a disease of the mind

28
Q

Windle, Johnson

A

If D knows the nature and quality of his act is legally wrong he cannot claim insanity even if he is suffering a mental illness

D is in a state of unconsciousness, or is conscious but does not understand his act because of the mental condition

29
Q

Howe, Gotts

A

D is forced to commit a crime because of threats of death/serious injury;

Duress is not available for murder

30
Q

Valderrama-Vega

A

D can be threatened with other things as long as there is also a threat of death or serious injury

31
Q

Lynch, Singh, Quayle, Baker & Wilkins

A

Duress cannot be:

  1. threats to property
  2. threats to expose adultery
  3. threats of severe pain
  4. threats of psychological harm
32
Q

Martin, Conway, Hasan

A

Threat can be at D or family/friends;
or a person for whom D would reasonably regard themselves as responsible

  1. wife
  2. passenger
  3. responsible
33
Q

Cole

A

The threat must be for D to commit a specific crime

34
Q

Graham

A

Did D honestly and reasonably believe life was in immediate danger?

Would a sober person of reasonable firmness (sharing D’s characteristics) have responded in the same way? - OBJECTIVE following Hasan

35
Q

Martin

A

D must believe there was a threat of death or serious injury

36
Q

Bowen, Hegarty

A

Low IQ;
Timidity/vulnerability

are not relevant characteristics
(age, gender, physical health or disability)

37
Q

Sharp, Shepherd

A

If D brings the duress on himself it will not be allowed

  1. knew they were violent
  2. no knowledge of using violence
38
Q

Gill

A

There must be no time to escape/raise the alarm

39
Q

Hudson & Taylor

A

If raising the alarm would not be effective, duress is allowed

40
Q

Hasan

A

The threat must be able to take place as soon as the defence is committed

Immediacy is the ‘cardinal feature’ of the defence

41
Q

Willer

A

D is forced to commit a crime because of the situation he finds himself in

D allowed duress of circumstance when reckless driving as the situation he was in (surrounded by gang) forced him to commit the crime

42
Q

Pommell

A

Allowed duress of circumstances as the situation he was in forced him to be in possession of a weapon

43
Q

Martin (DoC)

A

Confirmed the Graham test for duress is the same as for duress of circumstance

44
Q

Effect on defence of duress

A

Duress is an excuse. It’s existence does not necessarily result in a not guilty verdict; it will depend on the jury’s view

45
Q

Specific intent crimes

A

MENS REA is intention

s18, theft, robbery, murder

46
Q

Majewski

A

Voluntary intoxication can be used to show D had not formed the necessary mens rea for the crime.

The specific intent crime may be lowered to the lesser basic intent option

47
Q

Sheehan & Moore

A

D’s did not have mens rea for murder due to intoxication so charge reduced

murder > manslaughter

48
Q

AG for NI v Gallagher

A

If D has mens rea before the crime then cannot use subsequent intoxication to remove his guilt: drunken intent is still intent

49
Q

Basic intent crimes

A

MENS REA only has to be recklessness

assault, battery, ABH, s20 UAM

50
Q

Lipman

A

Voluntary intoxication is no defence where the crime is one of basic intent because D’s self-induced intoxication may be seen as recklessness

51
Q

Kingston

A

D becomes intoxicated through no fault of their own

Even though D was spiked still had necessary mens rea for crime - intoxication simply took away resistance to committing crime

52
Q

Hardie (IV)

A

Involuntary intoxication will be a full defence as long as D did not already have the mens rea

D took prescription drug making him react differently than expected, but had not been reckless in taking it so defence was allowed