DPP v Camplin
1978 · AC 705
Posted By lanbuk.com
- Facts
- Camplin, aged fifteen, killed a man by hitting him on the head with a chapatti pan. He said the man had sexually assaulted him and then laughed. The judge told the jury to ignore his age when applying the test.
- Issue
- Do the accused's characteristics go into the reasonable-person test?
- Held
- The House of Lords held that they do. The reasonable person is a person with ordinary powers of self-control, but with the accused's age, sex, and other characteristics that affect the gravity of the .
- Principle
- The self-control is that of an ordinary person. The gravity of the provocation is judged as it would appear to a person with the accused's characteristics.
- Why it matters
- Bedder, which excluded impotence from the test, is no longer the law on this point.
Words and Latin in this note
- Provocation
- A partial defence to murder in Sierra Leone. The accused lost self-control because of provocative conduct, and a reasonable person with the accused's characteristics might have done as he did. It reduces murder to manslaughter. It is not a defence to any other crime. Open the note.
For study only. By lanbuk.com. Always check current sources and consult a qualified professional.