Session 4 ADPP Exam
What are the 2 broad categories of criminal defences? - ANS 1. Common law defences
2. Statutory defences
What are the 9 common law defences? - ANS 1. Insanity
2. Automatism
3. Duress
4. Necessity
5. Honest and reasonable mistake of fact
6. Claim of right
7. Provocation
8. Substantial impairment by abnormality of the mind
9. Doli-incapax
What is the defence of Automatism? - ANS automatism means an act done by the muscles
without any control of the mind, such as a spasm, a reflex action, or a convulsion, or an act
done by someone who is not conscious of what he is doing.
What are some examples of automatism? - ANS - An act done while suffering concussion
- An act done while sleepwalking
-An assault while spasming
What is the defence of Duress? - ANS Threats of immediate death or serious personal violence
so great as to overbear the ordinary power of human resistance should be accepted as
justification for acts that would otherwise be criminal.
To whom does the burden of proof lie, when proving the accused actions were involuntary by
virtue of threat? - ANS It is the responsibility of the crown to eliminate the possibility that the
accused actions were involuntary by virtue of threat.
What test is applied to the defence of Duress? - ANS - The two fold test
Is the Two Fold test Obective or Subjective - ANS Both.
First - Subjective, did the accused commit the act complained of because of a threat of death or
really serious harm would be occasioned to him or a person known to him.
Second - Objective, would a reasonable person laboring under that threat yield to that threat as
the accused did.
, Is the defence of duress available in relation to the charge of murder? - ANS No.
What is the first element to the defence of Necessity? - ANS 1. AVOID IRREPARABLE EVIL -
The criminal act or acts must have been done only in order to avoid certain consequences
which would have inflicted irreparable evil upon the accused or upon others whom he was
bound to protect
What is the second element to the defence of Necessity - ANS 2. IMMINENT PERIL - The
accused must honestly believe on reasonable grounds that he was placed in a situation of
imminent peril (subjective and objective test applies)
What is the third element to the defence of Necessity? - ANS 3. PROPORTION - The acts done
to avoid the imminent peril must not be out of proportion to the peril to be avoided (objective test
applies)
What is the key difference between Necessity and Duress? - ANS With necessity if there is a
break in time from the threat to the execution of the offence the defence can not succeed,
however with duress the threat can be of a continuing nature and a time interval is allowable.
explain the defence of Honest and Reasonable mistake of fact. - ANS In a state of facts, if they
existed would make the defendants actions innocent, affords an excuse for doing what would
otherwise be an offence.
in other words: the defendant accepts the charge, however he relies upon a set of facts, that if
true, would exculpate the defendant from the actus reus of the defence.
Can the defence of Honest and Reasonable mistake of fact be used, in relation to a mistake of
law? - ANS No.
Explain the defence of Claim of Right. - ANS A person is not criminally responsible, as for an
offence relating to property, for an act done or omitted to be done by him with respect to any
property in the exercise of an honest claim of right and without intention to defraud.
What are the three broad categories for statutory defences? - ANS 1. Concept defences
2. Offence specific offences
3. Proof by exception
Define - Concept defence - ANS These defences relate to a concept of public policy settled
upon over years of common law decisions, for example, Self defence and 'intoxication'
Define - Offence Specific defences - ANS These defences are where the parliament formulates
offence in the legislation and include that particular offence a 'built in' defence
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