Introduction To Criminal Liability P1 Flashcards
What is the burden of proof
The burden of proof lays on the prosecution to prove everything in the case
What is the standard of proof
Guilty beyond reasonable doubt
What are the two ways laws are made
Common law
Passing of an act
Which case is an example of common law
R V R (1991)
Which case highlighted the burden of proof
Woolmington V DPP (1935)
What is Obiter Dicter
Anything other the judge says
What is the Actus Reus
The physical element of the crime
“The guilty act”
Which two ways can the AR be committed
Through an act or omission
What are the three different types of crime involved in the AR
Conduct crime
Result crime
State of Affairs crime
Give an example of a conduct crime
Drunk driving but no one gets hurt
Give an example of a result crime
Murder or manslaughter
What is a State of Affairs crime
The existence of a situation is enough to form the AR of a crime
Which two cases are examples of State of Affairs crime
R V Larsonneur (1933)
Winzar V CC of Kent (1983)
The AR must always be …
Voluntary (except for State of Affairs)
Which case shows that the AR must always be voluntary
Hill V Baxter (1958)
What is the general rule in English law for omissions
You have no liability for failing to act
What are the six exceptions to the general rule of english law for omissions
Duty arising from contract
Duty arising from statute
Duty voluntarily undertaken
Duty from parents to child
Duty to limit accidental harm
Duty to the public
What is the Duty of doctors omission
A doctor can stop treatment of a patient if it is in the patients best interest (not going to get better)
Which case involved the Duty of doctors
Airedale NHS Trust V Blank (1993)
What is the Law commissions 1989 Draft Criminal Code do
Referred to AR as “external element” claiming it is more accurate as omission can be classed as guilty act
What is the Good Samaritan law
Makes a person responsible for helping other people in an emergency situation, even if they are total strangers
What are the five problems with enforcing the good Samaritan law?
-what if medically inexperienced people try help but make it injury worse
-who decides when it is an emergency
-if several witnesses do they all have to help
-must rescuers put themselves at risk
-isn’t this the job of the emergency services
Which case involves when a duty to act actually exists
R V Khan & Khan
When is duty assumed
An adult is held responsible for another adult when invited into his home
What is the chain of causation
The chain that shows that the unlawful act of the accused actually caused the harm to the victim