A wife had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her husband, though she had been subject to long term abuse by him.
Held: Relief was granted to the wife under s.2(2) of the 1982 Act. The forfeiture rule for suicide operates to sever any joint tenancy on the death. The rule applied in a case where death was not brought about intentionally, but was the unfortunate consequence of deliberate threats of violence with a loaded gun: ‘the court cannot go further and evaluate the degree of moral culpability to be attributed to her conduct in order to say whether the forfeiture rule applies or not.’ The court ordered a modification of the provision.
Judges:
Vinelott J
Citations:
[1985] Ch 85, [1985] 1 All ER 403, [1985] 2 WLR 262
Statutes:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Citing:
Cited – Re Royse (Deceased) CA 1985
The wife sought to claim under the 1975 Act despite having been convicted of her husband’s manslaughter from diminished responsibility. She was the sole beneficiary under his will but was precluded by her conviction from taking any benefit under the . .
Cited by:
Cited – Dunbar (As Administrator of Tony Dunbar Deceased) v Plant CA 23-Jul-1997
The couple had decided on a suicide pact. They made repeated attempts, resulting in his death. Property had been held in joint names. The deceased’s father asked the court to apply the 1982 Act to disentitle Miss Plant.
Held: The appeal was . .
Cited – D v L and Others ChD 16-Apr-2003
The claimant had been found guilty of the manslaughter by diminished responsibility of the deceased. He now sought disapplication of the 1982 Act.
Held: The application failed: ‘The reforms introduced by the Homicide Act 1957 were designed to . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Wills and Probate, Crime, Land
Updated: 21 July 2022; Ref: scu.185182
