Criminal law worksheet with answers

Under section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957, who bears the burden of proving diminished responsibility?

1. AThe judge, on the medical evidence alone
2. BThe defendant, on the balance of probabilities
3. CNobody, as the jury decides freely
4. DThe prosecution, beyond reasonable doubt

Which case is known for the "golden thread" that the prosecution must prove the defendant's guilt?

1. ACarlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co
2. BR v Brown
3. CWoolmington v DPP
4. DDonoghue v Stevenson

In English law, a common assault (in the narrow sense) is committed when the defendant:

1. ACauses the victim serious bodily harm
2. BDamages the victim's property
3. CActually applies unlawful force to the victim's body, however slight
4. DCauses the victim to apprehend immediate unlawful force

D drinks heavily to gain courage before killing V, as planned. Following A-G for Northern Ireland v Gallagher, D:

1. ACannot rely on intoxication, because the intent to kill was formed before drinking
2. BCan only be guilty of manslaughter
3. CCan rely on intoxication because murder is a specific intent offence
4. DHas a defence of involuntary intoxication

D points a gun at his friend as a joke, both believing it will not fire. It fires and kills the friend. Following R v Lamb, there was no unlawful act manslaughter because:

1. AJokes cannot be criminal under English law
2. BThere was no assault, since the friend did not apprehend any force
3. CThe gun belonged to the friend
4. DThe death was caused by the gun malfunctioning, not by any act of D's

D gets drunk voluntarily, mistakenly believes he is being attacked and stabs V. Under English law, D:

1. ACannot rely on a drunken mistaken belief in self-defence
2. BHas a complete defence of intoxication
3. CCan always rely on any honest belief, however it arose, in self-defence
4. DIs automatically guilty of murder

Under the loss of control defence (Coroners and Justice Act 2009), the defence is NOT available if:

1. AThe loss of control was not sudden
2. BThe victim was a family member
3. CThe defendant acted in a considered desire for revenge
4. DThe defendant had been drinking that day

In Airedale NHS Trust v Bland (1993), the House of Lords held that withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from a patient in a persistent vegetative state:

1. AWas a positive act of killing, amounting to murder
2. BWas an omission that was lawful because continued treatment was no longer in the patient's best interests
3. CWas lawful only because the patient's family had given consent, which is required for any such withdrawal
4. DWas lawful because the patient had made an advance decision