Criminal law worksheet with answers

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

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

Under section 4 of the Theft Act 1968, which of these cannot normally be stolen?

1. AA bicycle
2. BLand
3. CMoney
4. DA bank balance

In English law, rape is defined in which statute?

1. AThe Offences Against the Person Act 1861
2. BThe Sexual Offences Act 2003
3. CThe Protection from Harassment Act 1997
4. DThe Criminal Justice Act 1988

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. BThe death was caused by the gun malfunctioning, not by any act of D's
3. CThere was no assault, since the friend did not apprehend any force
4. DThe gun belonged to the friend

D puts poison in V's drink intending to kill her, but V dies of an unrelated heart attack before the poison works. D is guilty of:

1. AMurder
2. BNo offence at all
3. CManslaughter
4. DAttempted murder

The "thin skull" rule in criminal law means:

1. AThe victim's injuries must be foreseeable in extent
2. BOnly healthy victims are protected
3. CThe defendant must take the victim as they find them
4. DA frail victim breaks the chain of causation

In "Thabo Meli v R", the defendants beat the victim, believed him dead and threw him off a cliff, where he died of exposure. The court held:

1. AThe victim's death was not caused by the defendants
2. BThere was no murder because the mens rea existed only before the act that actually caused death
3. CThe defendants were guilty only of attempted murder
4. DThe series of acts formed one transaction, so actus reus and mens rea coincided

In R v Whybrow (1951), the court held that the mens rea of attempted murder is:

1. AAn intention to kill only
2. BRecklessness as to causing death
3. CThe same as the mens rea of murder
4. DAn intention to cause GBH