Gross Negligence Manslaughter Flashcards
When is gross negligence manslaughter committed?
When an individual owes a duty of care to another and breaches it in a very negligent way
What does the civil law define negligent as?
When a personal fails to take the care as a reasonable person would in that situation
What is negligence defined under?
Civil law
What did the civil case of Donoghue v Stevenson (1932) establish?
The neighbour principle
What type of case of Donoghue v Stevenson (1932)?
Civil
What case happened in 1932?
Donoghue v Stevenson
In what year did the case of Donoghue V Stevenson take place?
1932
What established the neighbour principle?
The civil case of Donoghue V Stevenson (1932)
What is the neighbour principle?
The principle that one must take care to avoid acts it omissions that could injure another
What is gross negligence?
Where the death of a person is caused by another’s negligence which is so severe as to deserve punishment under criminal law
What can give rise to a gross negligence conviction?
Gross negligence
What established the three requirements for a gross negligence manslaughter conviction?
The case of Adomako (1994)
What case took place in 1994?
Adomako
In what year did the case of Adomako take place?
1994
What did the case of Adomako (1994) establish?
That a gross negligence conviction requires three requirements:
The defendant must owe a duty of care
The defendant must have breached the duty which in turn caused the death
The defendant must have been grossly negligent
What are the three requirements for a gross negligence manslaughter conviction?
The defendant must owe a duty of care
The defendant must have breached the duty which in turn caused the death
The defendant must have been grossly negligent
What is the problem with the requirements established by Adomako (1994)?
Much of the terminology is vague, leaving little guidance for the jury when coming to a decision so it’s too subjective. People may have differing views of ‘owe’ and how far is gross negligence? It’s subjective to pick a point when it’s no longer negligent but gross negligence