Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 3 CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................. 5 INVESTIGATION .............................................................................................................................................................5 WARRANTS ....................................................................................................................................................................5 ARREST ..........................................................................................................................................................................6 BAIL................................................................................................................................................................................8 PRE-TRIAL .....................................................................................................................................................................9 COMMITTAL ................................................................................................................................................................ 10 TRIAL .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 SENTENCING ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 SUBSTANTIVE OFFENCES ....................................................................................................................... 11 MURDER...................................................................................................................................................................... 11 MANSLAUGHTER ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 Unlawful and Dangerous Act ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Criminal Negligence .......................................................................................................................................................... 15 ASSAULT ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Common law assault ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 Statutory assault ................................................................................................................................................................. 17 SEXUAL OFFENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 Rape ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Sexual assault........................................................................................................................................................................ 19 PROPERTY OFFENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 20 Theft ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Obtain property by deception ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Obtain financial advantage by deception ............................................................................................................... 23 Robbery .................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Armed robbery...................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Burglary ................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Aggravated burglary......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Blackmail................................................................................................................................................................................. 26 CRIMINAL LIABILITY ............................................................................................................................... 27 ATTEMPTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 27 DEFENCES ................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Self Defence ............................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Duress........................................................................................................................................................................................ 30 Necessity .................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 COMPLICITY ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Assisting, encouraging, or directing .......................................................................................................................... 32 Agreement, arrangement, or understanding ........................................................................................................ 33 Extending scope of liability ............................................................................................................................................ 33
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
Criminal Procedure Balance between the state investigating crime and individual rights.
Investigation Police have power to investigate under Victoria Police Act 2013. Statutory Investigative Regimes (SIR) laid out in Crimes Act, sets out rules and procedures for police investigation. SIR provides protection for arrested persons and people attending/assisting voluntarily.
Warrants Order of the court that authorises police to take action in certain circumstances. Warrants allow police to break and enter a place where the offender is suspected to be living. Arrest with warrant Can be issued by all courts. E.g. charge and arrest warrant – when accused is being investigated and police intend to charge, but person cannot be located E.g. Bench warrant – issued by Court when accused fails to attend Court. E.g. Warrant under s194 of Evidence Act to arrest witness who fails to attend Court. Arrest without warrant Can only enter property under certain circs. E.g. If reasonable belief a person has committed and indictable offence and is living in the premises – Nicholson v Avon. s457 – Cannot arrest under common law without a warrant. Police have implied licence to enter public driveway – Halliday v Nevill Cannot enter if no implied licence (e.g. walled property) or if licence is expressly revoked – Plenty v Dillon.
Search and seizure Types of search: Compulsory procedure s464(2) – taking of intimate sample Frisk search s3C(1) – pat down Common law – can only search person and premises without warrant if the person is under arrest. Can search person and premises with warrant. Statute law – Powers are broader, searches can be conducted as long as there are no statutory restrictions. s459A police can search any place where offender is believed to be. Must be lawful entry and search (consent or warrant).
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
where the act that causes the death occurs is the location where can be tried. s9 introduced to reflect this. Malice aforethought – not necessarily malicious, requires intent or recklessness. See malice aforethought element. Within a year and a day – Abolished. Mainly due to intentional infection with diseased that take time to kill (e.g. AIDS) or methods of keeping people alive for longer (e.g. life support).
Elements in detail 1. Voluntary, conscious, and deliberate act. An act must be willed for it to be voluntary – Ugle. Does not include involuntary acts while sleepwalking, unconscious, having seizure, etc. Jiminez – culpable driving while asleep. Held the act was not willed because he was asleep, but liable because he should have been aware of the risks of driving while drowsy. Intoxication is not a defence, but may be used to show the conduct was not voluntary – O’Connor. 2. Causation a. Sine qua non – But for D’s act, would death have occurred? Factual causation b. Identify acts that might have broken causation Legal causation o An act will break causation if it accelerated the death to the extent that it can be said to have caused the death. o Royall – McHugh J identified 4 tests of intervening acts Substantial and operating cause - Arulthilakan Natural consequences - Royall Reasonable foresight of consequences - Royall Novus Actus Interveniens o Intervening acts must be unexpected and not natural or predictable. 3 types: Act of victim: Royall – Accused must show that the act of the victim was unreasonable and broke chain of causation. Will not break the chain if done in the interests of self-preservation. Irrational or disproportionate acts may be considered unreasonable and will break the chain. Act of third party: Evans and Gardiner – Medical treatment must be ‘exceptionally poor’ or ‘grossly wrong’ to amount to intervening act. Act of God: Hallett – Must be unexpected. Tide coming in is a natural event and is predictable. Other considerations o Egg shell skull rule – Must take V as you find them – Blaue. o Life support systems – turning off life support will not break the chain as long as the original injury is the continuing or operating cause – Malcharek.
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
Manslaughter Elements quick look 1. Voluntary manslaughter 2. Involuntary manslaughter a. Manslaughter by Unlawful and Dangerous Act i. Intention to perform act (M) ii. Act is unlawful (A) iii. Act is objectively dangerous (A) iv. Act caused death (A) b. Manslaughter by Criminal Negligence i. Accused owed victim duty of care (A) ii. Accused breached the duty (A) iii. Act or omission which breached the duty was voluntary, conscious, and deliberate (M) iv. The breach caused death (A) Two types of manslaughter – voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter: o D possesses mental element for murder, but criminal liability reduced due to some mitigating factor. o Excessive self-defence is voluntary manslaughter – Zecevic. o Survivor of suicide pact guilty of voluntary manslaughter – s6B. Involuntary manslaughter: o Two subcategories – manslaughter by Unlawful and Dangerous Act (UDA) or by Criminal Negligence (CN). o Manslaughter by battery removed as third subcategory – Wilson. Unlawful and Dangerous Act Elements Set out in Wilson. 1. Intention to perform act Subjective test. 2. The act is unlawful Act causing death must have been unlawful – e.g. assault, armed robbery, etc. Must satisfy the mens rea elements of that particular offence – Nguyen. If elements are not satisfied, it is not UDA – Lamb (V not in apprehension of harm, no assault). If the unlawful act is assault, consider s3A constructive murder. If the act is lawful assault, cannot be UDA. 3. The act is objectively dangerous Objective test Act is objectively dangerous and likely to injure another – Larkin. Sober and reasonable person would have recognised the risk of harm – Wilson. The reasonable person is a person with the same characteristics of the accused – Edwards. Single strike punches to head or neck taken to be dangerous act – s4A. 4. Act caused death See murder – causation.
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
Sexual Offences Rape Elements quick look 1. Sexual penetration (A) 2. Lack of consent (A) 3. Penetration was intentional (M) 4. No reasonable belief of consent (M) s37B – Guiding principles for offence of rape s38 – Elements and sentencing Elements in detail 1. Sexual penetration – s37D. Normally not in issue – AG (child unclear on definition of what constituted the vagina, jury not convinced penetration occurred). Statutory provisions give extensive list of what circs constitute penetration Includes failure to withdraw when consent revoked – s37D(1)(d)-(f). 2. Lack of consent Consent is ‘free agreement.’ s34C outlines circumstances not to be taken as free agreement. Fraudulent conduct that induces consent is not rape – Papadimitriopoulos (woman consented to sex because she erroneously thought they were married). The only fraudulent conduct that will negate consent is fraud about the nature of the act itself: o Mistaken as to identity of Accused – Saunders o Unaware of sexual nature of the act – Williams o Believes the act is for medical procedure – Flattery Intoxication – limitation of consent. Non consent vs lowered inhibitions. Generally must be ‘incapable of free agreement’ for it to negate consent. Mental capacity – Eastwood. Person must understand: o Physical nature of act o Sexual nature of act o that they are able to refuse o the consequences of the act (i.e. pregnancy, infection, etc.) Marriage is not a defence to rape – PGA Evidence of the victim will be relevant to determination of whether consent given. 3. Intentional penetration Rarely in contention. Reckless penetration is not sufficient to satisfy this element. 4. Lack of reasonable belief of consent s37G(1) – ‘Reasonable belief’ will depend on circumstances. o E.g. consent would not be reasonable in a violent stranger rape case. o Knowledge of person being asleep is enough to show a lack of reasonable belief in consent.
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
Robbery Definition Force or threat of force used before or at the time of stealing in order to commit theft.
Elements quick look 1. Use of force or threat of force (A) 2. Intention to use force to steal (M) 3. Appropriation of property (A) 4. Belonging to another (A) 5. With intention to deprive (M) 6. Dishonest (M) Elements in detail 1. Use of force or threat of force Same as assault. Actual injury is not required. Putting a person in fear or seeking to put a person is fear is sufficient. Threat must cause apprehension or intimidation. Includes threats designed to remove resistance or cause submission – Butcher. 2. Intention to use force in order to steal There must be a causal connection between the two. If theft has been completed, a later use of force will not turn it into a robbery. o Could be issue of continuing appropriation – Hale. 3. Elements 3-6 See theft. Armed robbery Elements s75A. Same as robbery, but with additional element. 7. Accused in possession of a weapon at the time of the robbery. s77(1) defines weapon for the purposes of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. Burglary Definition Unlawful entry as a trespasser into a building or part of a building. Elements quick look 1. Entry into building or part of building (A) 2. Trespasser (A) 3. With intent to commit offence (M)
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Criminal law (LAW2394) notes by Declan
Defences All defences are statutory. s322I – burden of proof on Accused to raise defence, prosecution then has onus of proof to disprove All defences only apply to murder if not acting would have resulted in death or really serious injury to themselves or another. o s322K – self-defence o s322O – duress o s322R – necessity Mens rea and actus reus elements of the offence have been satisfied, but act was committed as a result of circumstance rather than motive. Family violence relevant to self-defence and duress. See s322J. Self Defence Definition Lawful excuse for conduct in certain circumstances to defend self, another, or property – s322K-N Elements Zecevic 1. D believed it was necessary to do what they did, given the circumstances Subjective test Does not matter if the belief was mistaken, only that it was honestly held. Accused’s characteristics will be relevant. o Intoxication/mental illness – Conlon (belief of necessity influenced by intoxication and schizophrenia, shot two intruders stealing cannabis plants). 2. Belief based on reasonable grounds Objective test Not a reasonable person test, based on perception of Accused – Zecevic. Relevant factors o Relationship between Accused and V – Hector o Prior conduct of V – Besim o Proportionality of act by Accused – Zecevic o Accused’s failure to retreat. Did they have the opportunity to excape? – Zecevic Notes Imminence of harm – The threat of harm must be current, though the intended harm need not be imminent – Secretary (man said he would kill Accused when he woke up, Accused shot him while he was asleep). Pre-emptive attack may be justified – Beckford Family violence taken into consideration – Osland, s322M. o s322J looks at factors relevant Defence to lawful conduct o Does not apply as a defence to lawful conduct – s322L(a). o Person must be aware the conduct is lawful – s322L(b).
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