Defences Flashcards
Self-Defense under Common Law
D can use force to protect himself; another person; or property
Force must be:
a. necessary; and
b. reasonable
s3 Criminal Law Act 1967
D can use force to prevent a crime
Bailey
Left to the jury to decide; results in a full acquittal
Necessary under s76 Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008
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
Williams
Ds mistaken belief was allowed
Bird
D does not need to show a reluctance to fight
Beckford
D can strike first; D can use self-defence where he apprehends an attack
AG’s Ref 2 of 1984
D can prepare to defend himself, even if it breaks the law
Reasonable under Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008
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
Clegg
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
s76(5A) CJIA 2008
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.
Bratty v AG for NI
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
A-Gs Ref 2 of 1993
There must be a total destruction of voluntary control
Broome v Perkins
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
Hill v Baxter
swarm of bees is an external cause
R v T
PTSD from rape is an external cause
Whooley
sneezing is an external cause
additional external causes
effect of a drug, hypnosis, or a blow to the head
Bailey
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
Hardie (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