| A | B |
|---|
| Actus Reus | Means the Guilty Act! |
| Mens Rea | Means the Guilty Mind! |
| Crown Court | Indictable crimes are tried here |
| Magistrates' Court | Summary offences are tried here |
| A positive act | A type of crime where a person intentionally does something criminal |
| An omission to act | A type of crime where a person fails to act |
| A state of affairs | A type of crime where a person is found in a criminal situation (e.g. in possession of a vehicle with excess alcohol in the blood) |
| Causation | Where a defendant is the factual cause and legal casue of a prohibited consequence |
| The Thin Skull Rule | A rule of law that the defendant must 'take the victim as he finds them' |
| Common (or case) law | Law made by judges rather than parliament (not yet written into statute law) |
| Intention | A principle of law that must be present for a person to be found guilty of murder |
| Recklessness | In criminal law, defined as acting thoughtlessly which causes risk to others |
| Actus Reus and Mens Rea | In law, both must be present for a person to be found guilty of most criminal offences (the elements of a criminal offence) |
| Criminal Damage | Deliberately vandalising or harming another's property |
| Accidental Damage | Unintentional harm to another's property |
| Beyond reasonable doubt | The burden of proof in a criminal case |
| Either-way offence | An offence which may be tried at a Magistrates' Court or Crown Court |
| 'Nulla poena sine lege' | A person should not suffer punishment unless he/she has clearly breached the law |
| Mrder, attempted murder and armed robbery are examples of these | Indictable offences |
| Common assault is an example of this | A summary offence |
| 'causa sine qua non' | The 'but for this test' (e.g. but for the husband shouting threats the wife would not have jumped from the first floor window) |
| 'Prima facie' | In law it means 'at first glance/look' (latin). |
| Maliciousness | Acting with the intention to harm another physically or mentally |
| Subjectively | Examining a case by looking into the mind and characteristics of the accused |
| A criminal act | An action by a person which is illegal under criminal law |
| Punishment | The penalty in law for committing a criminal act |
| Noxious substances | Illegal drugs or poison for example |
| Illegal possession | Having an illegal item (gun, knive) about one's person |
