Criminal Law: Actus Reus Principles

Legal obligation to help a family member in need, especially during a terminal illness.

A terminally ill individual rejecting help from a caregiver despite a duty of care.

Potential legal responsibility for a death if one respects a family member's refusal of assistance.

Case illustrating circumstances where a husband was not held criminally liable for respecting his wife's refusal of medical help and ultimately her dying wish.

The ability to make sound judgments based on the individual's state of health, in the context of deciding on medical assistance.

A unique relationship potentially impacting a duty of care and related legal responsibilities.

Case providing further insight into circumstances when a duty to act is released, particularly in medical contexts.

A court decision that has not been reviewed or affirmed by a higher court.

A landmark legal case concerning the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from a patient in a persistent vegetative state.

A condition where a person appears to be awake but shows no awareness or conscious thought.

The act of ceasing medical interventions to sustain a person's life.

The principle in medical ethics and law that treatment decisions should prioritize the patient's well-being, however this is the guiding principle when considering a plan.

A legal requirement in some circumstances, like Tony Bland, for withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, especially when the patient cannot consent.

Doctors' obligation to provide treatment and care to their patients, either under a contract or other legal requirement.

A tragic event where many football supporters suffered serious injuries in a stadium crush.

A factor considered when deciding the best interests of a patient (conscious or vegetative), often assessing the individual's enjoyment rather than survival.

Legal responsibility for a harm caused by failing to act when there's a duty to act.

A situation created by someone's actions which puts others at risk.

Legal obligation created when someone creates a dangerous situation, requiring action to prevent harm.

Legal accountability for harm caused by failing to do something you were obligated to.

Legal case highlighting duty when a person creates a dangerous situation; ignoring it leads to criminal liability.

Case illustrating criminal liability for creating a dangerous situation (car on a hill).

A situation made unsafe by someone's actions requiring steps to prevent harm.

Someone legally obligated to care for another person (like a patient).

The unbroken link between an action and its consequences in a legal context.

An action by a third party that breaks the chain of causation, relieving the original actor of responsibility.

A person's request to end their life, legally permitted in specific jurisdictions.

The extent to which a particular outcome could be anticipated.

An action by someone other than the accused or the victim that affects an outcome.

A choice that is made willingly and with an understanding of its consequences.

The potential legal responsibility for a death when another action breaks the chain of causation.

When an intervening act, considered free or not foreseeable, separates the original action from the final outcome.

A legal case where a defendant's conviction was overturned due to excessively poor medical treatment that was the direct cause of the victim's death, demonstrating a crucial distinction in determining criminal responsibility for injuries.

A case where a defendant's conviction for murder against a victim who died from poor medical care following a stabbing was upheld. This case clarified the concept of causation in criminal trials.

The concept in law that for a defendant to be held liable for a death, their actions must have directly contributed to it - intervening events which break this connection are considered.

An event that occurs between the defendant's act and the victim's death, potentially severing the relationship between the two, and thereby affecting the chain of causation.

The legal distinction between medical treatment considered normal in dealing with injury or illness versus exceptional/poor treatment; crucial to determining criminal liability for death.

A case or situation that is notably unusual or outside the norm, used to describe cases like Jordan as falling outside the standard cases.

A complex issue in law that involves determining whether an action has a direct causal link to a criminal outcome, typically establishing the direct link from the initial injury to death.

A legal decision where a previous court decision or verdict is overturned.

The requirement that the defendant's actions were the 'but for' reason for the result; if the harm wouldn't have happened without the defendant's actions, it is proven.

The defendant's actions must be more than minimal in causing the result. It must be an operating and substantial cause.

An event that breaks the chain of causation between the defendant's act and the result.

The defendant must take their victim as they find them; pre-existing conditions don't remove liability if the action caused the harm.

A test used to determine factual causation; did the result happen because of the defendant's actions?

A crime that requires a harmful result to be established as part of the actus reus (guilty act).

The continuous sequence of events that link the defendant's actions to the harmful consequences.

An intervening event that is so unexpected that it breaks the chain of causation.