This chapter discusses trespass to land and defences. Trespass can be committed in various ways, provided that the interference is direct and immediate. The boundary between trespass and other torts, particularly nuisance, is sometimes difficult to draw. Entry on to land is simply the most obvious example of trespass, but other examples include: placing things on land or inducing animals to enter. The Limitation Act 1623, section 5 provides that if the defendant pleads disclaimer of title to the land and if ‘the trespass was by negligence or involuntary’ and he makes a tender of sufficient amends, action against him shall be barred. The claimant’s consent is always a defence to an action in trespass, in the sense that it constitutes ‘leave and licence’.
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Chapter
12. Trespass to Land
Chapter
13. Defences to intentional torts against the person or property
This chapter examines the types of defence that can be used to counter claims for intentional torts against property or person (although they might be applicable to other torts as well). It explains that defences to these torts can be placed within a threefold system. The first category consists of absent element defences (a successful plea means that the tort has not been committed), the second comprises justification defences (meaning that there was reason to commit the tort), and the third contains public policy defences (which means that the interests of the state intrude so as to deprive the claimant of an action).
Chapter
8. Contributory Negligence
Celebrated for their conceptual clarity, titles in the Clarendon Law Series offer concise, accessible overviews of major fields of law and legal thought. This chapter discusses the law on contributory negligence. In England, contributory negligence denotes only the negligence of the claimant himself, not that of a third party whose negligence contributes to the occurrence of the harm. Under the Contributory Negligence Act 1945, the claimant's damages are reduced to such extent as the court thinks just and equitable having regard to the claimant's share in the responsibility for the damage. The chapter also deals with contributory negligence as a defence that the defendant must plead and prove. It considers two defences. The first is that the claimant consented to the harmful conduct or accepted the risk of ensuing damage; the second that the claim arose out of illicit conduct on the part of the claimant.
Chapter
15. The Priority Triangle
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter addresses the question of when C can have a defence to B’s pre-existing property right. It thus covers the basic principles that apply when answering the priority question. It examines how a court determines which of two competing property rights arose first. It also examines exceptions to the basic rule, acknowledged by s 28 of the Land Registration Act 2002, that B’s property right, where it arises before C’s property right, will take priority.
Chapter
4. The burden and standard of proof
This first part of the chapter discusses the concept of burden of proof, covering the legal or persuasive burden of proof; the evidential burden; the effect of presumptions on the burden of proof; the legal burden of proof in civil cases; the evidential burden in civil cases; the burden of proof in criminal cases; defence burdens of proof before Lambert; defence burdens of proof after Lambert; and the burden of proof of secondary facts. The second part of the chapter discusses the standard of proof, covering standard of proof required of prosecution in criminal cases; standard of proof required of defence; standard of proof of secondary facts; the standard of proof in civil cases; and the standard of proof in matrimonial and family cases.
Chapter
24. Intoxication
This chapter discusses the law on offences involving intoxication. It distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary intoxication, and between ‘specific’ and ‘basic’ intent. Cases are presented to show that state of mind is both a necessary element in the definition of an offence as well as in some defences. Just as intoxication may cause a person to lack the mens rea of an offence so it may cause him to have the necessary mental element of a defence.
Chapter
15. The Priority Triangle
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter addresses the question of when C can have a defence to B’s pre-existing property right. It thus covers the basic principles that apply when answering the priority question. It examines how a court determines which of two competing property rights arose first. It also examines exceptions to the basic rule, acknowledged by s 28 of the Land Registration Act 2002 that B’s property right, where it arises before C’s property right, will take priority.
Chapter
13. Voluntary manslaughter
David Ormerod and Karl Laird
Manslaughter is defined by common law as any unlawful homicide that is not murder. The offence is limited by murder at one extreme and accidental killing at the other. Manslaughter can be either ‘voluntary’ or ‘involuntary’. This chapter deals with voluntary manslaughter: this occurs when someone had the intention to kill or do grievous bodily harm, but relies on a partial defence to murder. The two partial defences considered in this chapter are loss of self- control and diminished responsibility (suicide pact is dealt with in Ch 15). This chapter scrutinizes the defences available to the accused and in particular the developing case law under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 on loss of control and diminished responsibility, including the Supreme Court’s decision in Golds and the series of Court of Appeal cases since that decision.
Chapter
12. Drugs offences
Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams, and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter discusses the main drugs offences found under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It begins with a discussion of the offence of possession of a controlled drug, and examines the meaning of the terms ‘possession’ and ‘controlled drug’, before exploring defences to specific drug offences. It considers the offences of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply that drug to another, production of controlled drugs, supply of controlled drugs, and the offence of an occupier or someone concerned in the management of premises knowingly permitting the premises to be used for certain drug-related activities. Finally, it explores proposals to criminalise the use of ‘legal highs’.
Chapter
13. Defences I: incapacity and negating the elements of the offence
Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams, and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter discusses the following general defences: infancy, insanity, automatism, intoxication (involuntary and voluntary), and mistake. Children under the age of ten are conclusively presumed incapable of committing a criminal offence. Insanity (insane automatism) is concerned with the defendant’s mental condition at the time of the offence. Automatism is available where the defendant suffers a total loss of control or is unaware of what he is doing. Involuntary intoxication may be a defence to any offence if the defendant does not have the mens rea for that offence. Voluntary intoxication is no defence to a basic intent offence. A mistake as to civil law may negate the mens rea of an offence.
Chapter
14. Defences II: general defences
Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams, and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter explores the remaining general defences: self-defence, protection of another, and the prevention of crime, duress, duress of circumstances, and necessity. A defendant may rely on self-defence where he honestly believes that use of force is necessary in order to protect him and the force used is reasonable. The issue of duress arises where the defendant is threatened that he must commit a criminal offence or suffer physical injury or injury to his family. Duress excuses a defendant’s behaviour as a concession to human frailty, whereas necessity justifies it. Necessity does not require a threat made by a person of death or physical injury, but merely a choice between two evils.
Chapter
16. Defending an Action
This chapter focuses on the role of the defendant. The litigation system in England is adversarial, thus on the face of it the role of the defendant is potentially defensive, confrontational, and non cooperative. While the objective of the defendant will usually be to make the claim go away, the perhaps natural desire to take an approach that involves denial, delay, and obfuscation wherever possible must be resisted, or at least carefully considered. The chapter discusses the main types of defence to an action; dealing with the early stages of an action when a claim form is received; rules for drafting a defence; making a counterclaim; claiming a set-off; a general framework for a defence and counterclaim; and strategies and tactics in defending a case.
Chapter
23. Defences
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the role of defences in the law of torts. It then considers their application to torts which require proof of damage in order to be actionable, and in particular with the tort of negligence. The discussions cover contributory negligence; consent; exclusion and limitation of liability; illegality; necessity; inevitable accident; authorisation; and limitation of action. The chapter takes into account recent statutory developments including the effects of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 on the law governing exclusion and limitation of liability. It also examines the extensive Supreme Court case law reexamining the defence of illegality.
Chapter
21. Limitation
This chapter discusses the rules on limitation. The expiry of a limitation period provides a defendant with a complete defence to a claim. Limitation is a procedural defence. It will not be taken by the court of its own motion, but must be specifically set out in the defence. Limitation runs from accrual, which is when all the necessary elements for the cause of action are in existence. Technically, time runs from the day after the accident or breach, and stops running when the claim is brought. This is when the claimant has done everything they can to issue the claim form. Time does not run if the claimant is under disability, and in cases of fraud, mistake, and concealment. In personal injury and latent damage claims time will not start running until the claimant has the requisite ‘knowledge’, and there is a discretion to disapply limitation in personal injury claims.
Chapter
17. Tortious defences and remedies
This chapter examines the defences available to a defendant who has committed a tort, and the remedies that may be sought by a claimant in tort cases. Certain defences will provide a complete defence, such as consent and the voluntary assumption of risk, whereas others will merely serve to reduce the damages awarded (such as contributory negligence). Other defences discussed include exclusion of liability, statutory authority, and illegality. The rules relating to the limitation of actions are also discussed. The chapter then discusses the various remedies that may be awarded to a successful claimant, namely damages, injunctions, and self-help remedies.
Chapter
8. Corporate and vicarious liability
This chapter focuses on the potential criminal liability of organizations, particularly corporations. Corporations have a separate legal identity and are treated in law as having a legal personality distinct from the people who make up the corporation. Therefore, in theory at least, criminal liability may be imposed on the corporation separately from any liability imposed on the individual members. There are currently six ways in which a corporation or its directors may be prosecuted: personal liability of corporate directors, etc; strict liability offences; statutory offences imposing duties on corporations; vicarious liability; the identification doctrine; and statutory liability of corporate officers. The chapter also discusses the limits of corporate liability, the distinction between vicarious liability and personal duty, the application of vicarious liability, the delegation principle, and the ‘attributed act’ principle. The chapter examines the failure-to-prevent offences found in the Bribery Act 2010 and the Criminal Finances Act 2017, and the most recent forms of offence created in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
Chapter
9. Mental conditions, intoxication, and mistake
This chapter considers the most commonly occurring ‘mental condition defences’, focusing on the pleas of insanity, intoxication, and mistake. It also examines the relationship between mental condition defences, insanity, and unfitness to be tried, and explains the Law Commission’s recommendations for reforming unfitness and other mental condition defences. It explores the test of insanity, disease of the mind (insanity) versus external factors (sane automatism), insane delusions and insanity, burden of proof, function of the jury, self-induced automatism, intoxication as a denial of criminal responsibility, voluntary and involuntary intoxication, dangerous or non-dangerous drugs in basic intent crime, and intoxication induced with the intention of committing crime.
Chapter
21. Limitation
This chapter discusses the rules on limitation. The expiry of a limitation period provides a defendant with a complete defence to a claim. Limitation is a procedural defence. It will not be taken by the court of its own motion, but must be specifically set out in the defence. Limitation runs from accrual, which is when all the necessary elements for the cause of action are in existence. Technically, time runs from the day after the accident or breach, and stops running when the claim is brought. This is when the claimant has done everything they can to issue the claim form. Time does not run if the claimant is under disability, and in cases of fraud, mistake, and concealment. In personal injury and latent damage claims time will not start running until the claimant has the requisite ‘knowledge’, and there is a discretion to disapply limitation in personal injury claims.
Chapter
22. General defences
This chapter focuses on defences. The following controversies are examined: whether the fact of childhood constitutes a defence; the extent to which duress can negate criminal liability; whether necessity ought to be a defence; whether recent legislative developments have rendered self-defence unduly complex; and the distinction between justifications and excuses and whether these classifications have any practical import.
Chapter
8. Voluntary manslaughter
This chapter examines categories of manslaughter in which the defendant killed with the mens rea for murder, but qualified for one of the partial defences which reduced his crime to one of voluntary manslaughter. These defences are: loss of control, diminished responsibility, and suicide pacts and assisted suicide.
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