The claimant had sued her former employer for post-traumatic stress resulting from alleged harassment at her place of work. The claimant appealed against an order refusing damages. The court had held that outside the 1997 Act which was not in force at the time, there was no tort of harassment. The question was the extent … Continue reading Wong v Parkside Health NHS Trust and Another: CA 16 Nov 2001
Joint Enterprise Murder (and in Privy Council) The two defendants appealed against their convictions (one in Jamaica) for murder, under the law of joint enterprise. Each had been an accessory when their accomplice killed a victim with a knife. The judge in Jogee had directed the jury that he would be guilty of murder as … Continue reading Jogee and Ruddock (Jamaica) v The Queen: SC 18 Feb 2016
The defendants, young boys, had set fire to paper and thrown the lit papers into a wheelie bin, expecting the fire to go out. In fact substantial damage was caused. The House was asked whether a conviction was proper under the section where the defendant had given no thought to a risk of damage, but … Continue reading Regina v G and R: HL 16 Oct 2003
The appellant’s co-accused had been summarily tried and acquitted of common assault. The accused was subsequently indicted on the same facts for assault causing grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm. The accused demurred. Held: The demurrer was upheld, and the case could not proceed. By virtue of sections 28 and 29 of … Continue reading Regina v Elrington: 9 Nov 1861
1267 – 1278 – 1285 – 1297 – 1361 – 1449 – 1491 – 1533 – 1677 – 1688 – 1689 – 1700 – 1706 – 1710 – 1730 – 1737 – 1738 – 1751 – 1774 – 1792 – 1793 – 1804 – 1814 – 1819 – 1824 – 1828 – 1831 – 1832 … Continue reading Acts
Appeal from conviction of acting in breach of a restraining order, contrary to section 5(5) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (count 1) and making threats to kill, contrary to section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (count 2). Judges: Goose J Citations: [2019] EWCA Crim 853 Links: Bailii Statutes: Offences … Continue reading Dillion, Regina v: CACD 11 Apr 2019
Appeal against conviction and sentence. Fulford LJ, Flaux, Thirlwell JJ [2015] EWCA Crim 1619 Bailii Offences Against the Person Act 1861 16, Firearms Act 1968 18(1) England and Wales Crime Updated: 05 January 2022; Ref: scu.553635
Appeal against a sentence of two and a half years’ imprisonment passed for an offence of unlawful wounding contrary to section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 committed some 15 months earlier on 20 November 2007. Judges: Mr Justice King Citations: [2009] EWCA Crim 1716, [2010] 1 Cr App Rep (S) 45 … Continue reading Kee, Regina v: CACD 10 Jun 2009
Appeal against sentence of 16 months on plea of guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Citations: [2020] EWCA Crim 909 Links: Bailii Jurisdiction: England and Wales Criminal Sentencing Updated: 25 October 2022; Ref: scu.657258
The level of sentencing for a section 18 offence involving ‘glassing’ is ‘somewhere between two-and-a-half years’ to five years’ imprisonment, depending on the individual circumstances’. Judges: Lord Taylor C.J Citations: [1995] 16 Cr App R (S) 792 Statutes: Offences Against the Person Act 1861 18 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Cited by: Cited – Attorney General’s … Continue reading Attorney-General’s Reference No. 41 of 1994; Regina v O’Boyle: CACD 1995
In a prosecution for an offence of indecent assault on a girl under 16 under the section, it was necessary for the prosecution to prove the absence of a positive belief in the defendant’s mind that the victim was 16 or over. The legislation history showed an anomalous bringing together of different, and conflicting strands … Continue reading Regina v K: HL 25 Jul 2001
Evidence from 3rd Party Torture Inadmissible The applicants had been detained following the issue of certificates issued by the respondent that they posed a terrorist threat. They challenged the decisions of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission saying that evidence underlying the decisions had probably been obtained by torture committed by foreign powers, and should not … Continue reading A and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department (No 2): HL 8 Dec 2005
Twins were conjoined (Siamese). Medically, both could not survive, and one was dependent upon the vital organs of the other. Doctors applied for permission to separate the twins which would be followed by the inevitable death of one of them. The parents, devout Roman Catholics, resisted. Held: The parents’ views were subject to the overriding … Continue reading In Re A (Minors) (Conjoined Twins: Medical Treatment); aka In re A (Children) (Conjoined Twins: Surgical Separation): CA 22 Sep 2000
Procedures on Withdrawal of Life Support Treatment The patient had been severely injured in the Hillsborough disaster, and had come to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). The doctors sought permission to withdraw medical treatment. The Official Solicitor appealed against an order of the Court of Appeal permitting the action. Held: The appeal failed. … Continue reading Airedale NHS Trust v Bland: HL 4 Feb 1993
Challenge to rules requiring certain minimum levels of income (Minimum Income Requirement – MIR) for allowing entry for non-EEA spouse. Held: The challenges udder the Human Rights Act to the Rules themselves failed. Nor did any separate issue of discrimination arise under article 14. However, the appendix with instructions for entry clearance officers considering the … Continue reading MM (Lebanon) and Others, Regina (on The Applications of) v Secretary of State and Another: SC 22 Feb 2017
The court considered the proper content of an enhanced criminal record certificate. The claimant said that it should contain only matter relating to actual or potential criminal activity. Held: As to the meaning of section 115: ‘if Parliament had intended to limit relevant information to information of criminal or potentially criminal activity, it would be … Continue reading L, Regina (on the Application of) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and Another: CA 1 Mar 2007
Renewed application for leave to appeal against sentence for three offences of administering a poison or noxious substance so as to endanger life, contrary to section 23 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (counts 1-3), and for child cruelty, contrary to section 1 (1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (count … Continue reading AD, Regina v: CACD 26 Jul 2019
The claimant child suffered permanent damage in the form of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She now appealed from rejection of her claim for criminal injuries, saying that her mother’s drinking had been made her guilty of unlawfully administering a poison to any other person so as thereby to inflict grievous bodily harm, contrary to section … Continue reading CP (A Child) v First-Tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation): CA 4 Dec 2014
The guardian ad litem of three children made an application, supported by the local authority and the mother of the three children that the father be ordered to disclose in these proceedings (a) the identity of, and (b) copies of, the reports and notes of the medical experts the father is proposing to instruct in … Continue reading S County Council v B: FD 29 Jul 1999
Appeal from sentences for possession of prohibited firearm, and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and wounding with intent. Citations: [2018] EWCA Crim 635 Links: Bailii Statutes: Firearms Act 1968 5(1)(aba) 16A, Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Criminal Sentencing Updated: 01 July 2022; Ref: scu.624043
An indictment had not been signed despite a clear statutory provision that it should be. The defects were claimed to have been cured by amendment before sentence. Held: The convictions failed. Sections 1(1) and 2(1) of the 1933 Act which provided for a bill of indictment (which had of itself no legal standing save as … Continue reading Clarke, Regina v; Regina v McDaid: HL 6 Feb 2008
The defendant appealed conviction for inflicting grievous bodily harm on three women, by having unprotected sexual intercourse knowing that he was HIV positive, but without telling the women. Each contracted HIV. The allegation was that he had behaved recklessly on the basis that knowing that he was suffering from the HIV virus, and its consequences, … Continue reading Konzani, Regina v: CACD 17 Mar 2005
The applicant sought his release from detention in hospital, correction of records at the Crown Court, and confirmation that his detention had infringed his human rights. He had been accused of two assaults, but was found unfit to plead under section 4 by a jury. He was however later made subject to the s37 order. … Continue reading A, Regina (on the Application of) v Harrow Crown Court and others: Admn 14 Aug 2003
The defendant was attacked by his victim, and he hit his victim in the face. He was charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm with an alternative of unlawful wounding also open to the jury. The judge gave no direction on the meaning of ‘maliciously’ and the jury convicted under section 20. … Continue reading Regina v Mowatt: CACD 20 Jun 1967
The appellant had pleaded guilty to count 3, unlawful wounding, contrary to section 20 of the 1861 Act. The trial went ahead on counts 1 and 2, attempted murder and wounding with intent; all three counts in the alternative. After a majority direction the jury, asked to deliver its verdict, was unable to agree on … Continue reading Regina v McEvilly: CACD 2008
The Attorney General referred the sentences as too lenient for armed robbery, and aggravated vehicle taking. The defendants worked as a team, and used an imitation firearm, and threatened a victim with it. Held: The possession of firearms should be regarded as an aggravating feature in relation to other offences. When passing sentence, it is … Continue reading Attorney General’s Reference No 88 of 2002 (Hahn and Webster): CACD 7 Nov 2003
The defendant had hit a mother in the face as she held the child. The force was sufficient to cause her to drop the child causing injury to the child. He appealed against a conviction for beating the child. Held: The appeal failed. A battery could be inflicted even though the force actually used was … Continue reading Haystead v Director of Public Prosecutions: QBD 2 Jun 2000
The defendant appealed a conviction for attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. He had faced trial on a charge of attempted murder, and the judge had left open to the jury the alternative of the offence for which he had been convicted. Held: The question was one of law, whether a count of attempted murder … Continue reading Regina v Morrison: CACD 20 May 2003
Chief Justice Bovill said, referring to the 1861 Act: ‘At the time that Act (24 and 25 Vict. c. 96) was passed theft by a partner of the goods of the firm did not fall within the criminal law, either common or statute. This defect was supplied by 31 and 32 Vict. c. 116, which, … Continue reading Regina v Jesse Smith: 1871
The court was asked whether nurses could properly involve themselves in a pregnancy termination procedure not known when the Act was passed, and in particular, whether a pregnancy was ‘terminated by a medical practitioner’, when it was carried out by nurses acting on the instructions of such a practitioner. Held: The phrase ‘treatment for the … Continue reading Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom v Department of Health and Social Security: HL 2 Jan 1981
The claimant sought damages from the first defendant for breach of copyright. An ex parte search order had been executed, with the defendant asserting his privilege against self-incrimination. As computer disks were examined, potentially unlawful images of children were found. The searching officer asked the court for directions as to what to do. Held: The … Continue reading C Plc and W v P and Secretary of State for the Home Office and the Attorney General: ChD 26 May 2006
The defendant was convicted of unlawfully taking an unmarried girl under the age of 16 out the possession of her father. The defendant bona fide and on reasonable grounds believed that the girl was over 16. Held: This provided no defence. ‘It seems impossible to suppose that the intention of the legislature in those two … Continue reading Regina v Prince: 1875
Need for Certainty in Scope of Offence The appellant suffered a severe chronic illness and anticipated that she might want to go to Switzerland to commit suicide. She would need her husband to accompany her, and sought an order requiring the respondent to provide clear guidelines on the circumstances under which someone might be prosecuted … Continue reading Purdy, Regina (on the Application of) v Director of Public Prosecutions: HL 30 Jul 2009
Prosecution to prove absence of genuine belief To convict a defendant under the 1960 Act, the prosecution had the burden of proving the absence of a genuine belief in the defendant’s mind that the victim was 14 or over. The Act itself said nothing about any mental element, so the assumption must be that mens … Continue reading B (A Minor) v Director of Public Prosecutions: HL 23 Feb 2000
The applicant is the subject of an allegation of having inflicted grievous bodily harm contrary to section 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (‘OAPA’). The allegations relate to an incident that occurred in 2012 when she was 16. During the course of 2013 she challenged a Public Prosecution Service (‘PPS’) conclusion that … Continue reading CA v Public Prosecution Service (No 2): QBNI 2 Apr 2014
The claimant challenged the Order as regards the prescription of the morning-after pill, asserting that the pill would cause miscarriages, and that therefore the use would be an offence under the 1861 Act. Held: ‘SPUC’s case is that any interference with a fertilised egg, if it leads to the loss of the egg, involves the … Continue reading Regina (Smeaton) v Secretary of State for Health and Others: Admn 18 Apr 2002
The defendant had been convicted of several very serious sexual and physical assaults and rapes. He appealed against his conviction, saying that the judge had not fairly represented his defence to the jury. He said that the complainant had been raped, before and had suffered mental health issues, and that her evidence was inconsistent. [2013] … Continue reading Shirley, Regina v: CACD 8 Nov 2013
Three defendants appealed against their convictions of assault. One defendant argued that the court did not direct the jury as to the effect of intoxication and/or post-traumatic stress disorder upon the issue of intent, and as to whether and to what extent expert evidence of the Thompson’s post-traumatic stress disorder was relevant to their consideration … Continue reading Press and Another v Regina: CACD 24 Oct 2013
Domestic Offence requires Domestic Defence Each defendant sought to raise by way of defence of their otherwise criminal actions, the fact that they were attempting to prevent the commission by the government of the crime of waging an aggressive war in Iraq, and that their acts were accordingly justified in law. Held: The law on … Continue reading Regina v Jones (Margaret), Regina v Milling and others: HL 29 Mar 2006
The first defendant had been convicted of wounding. She had intended to throw beer over her victim, but her glass slipped from her hand, and cut the victim. The second defendant threw his three year old child in the air and caught him, not realising any risk of injury, but was convicted of inflicting grievous … Continue reading Regina v Savage; Director of Public Prosecutions v Parmenter: HL 7 Nov 1991
The appellants had been convicted of assault, after having engaged in consensual acts of sado-masochism in which they inflicted varying degreees of physical self harm. They had pleaded guilty after a ruling that the prosecution had not needed to prove the absence of consent. They said it was their human right to give consent to … Continue reading Regina v Brown (Anthony); Regina v Lucas; etc: HL 11 Mar 1993
The defendant had faced trial on terrorist charges. He claimed that delay and the very substantial adverse publicity had made his fair trial impossible, and that it was not an offence for a foreign national to solicit murders to be carried out abroad. Held: The appeal failed. Murder is singled out as an offence even … Continue reading Regina v Abu Hamza: CACD 28 Nov 2006
A public prize-fight was unlawful. Spectators were tried at Berkshire County Quarter Sessions with common assault. The Chairman of Quarter Sessions directed the jury to convict the spectators of common assault on the basis that having stayed to watch the fight, they encouraged it by their presence. Held: Each protagonist was guilty of assaulting the … Continue reading Regina v Coney: QBD 18 Mar 1882
Hudoc Judgment (Merits and just satisfaction) Lack of jurisdiction (Art. 8); Preliminary objection rejected (victim); Preliminary objection rejected (six month period); Preliminary objection rejected (non-exhaustion); Preliminary objection rejected (out of time); Violation of Art. 10; Not necessary to examine Art. 14+8; Pecuniary damage – financial award; Costs and expenses partial award – domestic proceedings; Costs … Continue reading Open Door and Dublin Well Woman v Ireland: ECHR 29 Oct 1992
The defendant appealed against her conviction for assaulting a police constable in the execution of his duty. He had sought to caution her with regard to activity as a prostitute. The 1959 Act gave no power to detain, but he took hold of her. She resisted, and injured him. Held: There was no arrest, and … Continue reading Collins v Wilcock: QBD 1984
The defendant appealed against his conviction for assault. He had picked up a sex worker, driven away, but then changed his mind, and forcibly removed her from the car when she delayed. He now argued that he had the same right at common law to remove her from trespassing in his car as he would … Continue reading Regina v Burns, Paul: CACD 27 Apr 2010
Specific Intention as to Damage Caused (Court of Criminal Appeal) The defendant wrenched a gas meter from the wall to steal it. Gas escaped. He was charged with unlawfully and maliciously causing a noxious thing, namely coal gas, to be taken by the victim. Held: Byrne J said: ‘We have considered those cases R v … Continue reading Regina v Cunningham: CCA 1957
The defendant appealed against his sentence to a term of imprisonment for public protection on his admission of wounding with intent. The sentencing system applied was replaced on the day following sentencing, and he said that the court should have applied the principle of lex mitior. Held: The appeal failed: ‘there was no fault in … Continue reading Docherty, Regina v: CACD 18 Jun 2014
The defendant had faced a charge of assault in the Magistrates Court and had pleaded not guilty. She had indicated in the ‘trial issues’ form through her lawyer that her defence was self defence. The prosecutor then indicated that the charge was to be upgraded to Actual Bodily Harm. At committal the defendant wanted to … Continue reading Firth v Epping Magistrates Court: Admn 3 Feb 2011
The prosecutor appealed against a successful appeal by the defendant against his conviction for murder. He and an opponent had engaged in a street battle using guns. His opponent had shot an innocent passer by. The court was now asked as to whether the doctrine of transferred malice could be applied alongside that of joint … Continue reading Gnango, Regina v: SC 14 Dec 2011
The Commission challenged the compatibility of the NI law relating to banning nearly all abortions with Human Rights Law. It now challenged a decision that it did not have standing to bring the case.
Held: (Lady Hale, Lord Kerr and Lord Wilson . .
The Court concludes that in Northern Ireland:
(i) There is no general right to abortion whether under the common law or under statute.
(ii) The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (‘the Commission’) has legal standing under the . .
Silent telephone calls which resulted in psychiatric damage to the victim could constitute an ‘assault occasioning actual bodily harm’ for the purposes of section 47 of the 1861 Act. Swinton Thomas LJ said: ‘The early cases pre-date the invention of . .
The defendant knew that he had gonorrhea. He had intercourse with his wife, and infected her. She would not have consented had she known. He appealed convictions for assault and causing grievous bodily harm.
Held: ‘The question in this case is . .
A public prize-fight was unlawful. Spectators were tried at Berkshire County Quarter Sessions with common assault. The Chairman of Quarter Sessions directed the jury to convict the spectators of common assault on the basis that having stayed to . .
