R v Macklin and Murphy

Facts

Several people acted together in a common purpose. The direction concerned whether each was liable for the blows struck by the others.

Issue

Are joint participants each liable for acts done in furtherance of the common intent?

Held

If several persons act together in pursuance of a common intent, every act done in furtherance of that intent is, in law, done by all of them.

Principle

Joint principals in the first degree need not each strike the fatal blow.

Why it matters

It is the statement of joint perpetration used for felonies in Sierra Leone.

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