Criminal law worksheet with answers

Which sentence must a court impose on an adult convicted of murder in England and Wales?

1. AA suspended sentence
2. BA fixed term of 10 years
3. CA community order
4. DLife imprisonment

Self-defence is generally a defence when the force used is:

1. AAs strong as possible
2. BPlanned in advance as revenge
3. CUsed after the threat has ended
4. DNecessary and reasonable in the circumstances

An "inchoate offence" is:

1. AAn offence committed by a child below the minimum age of criminal responsibility
2. BAn offence that requires no mental element at all
3. CAn offence that can only be tried in the magistrates' court
4. DAn offence committed before the intended crime is completed, such as attempt

D, being pursued by armed police, uses V as a human shield and fires at the officers. The police return fire and kill V. Following R v Pagett, D is:

1. ANot liable, because V's death was not foreseeable to D
2. BNot liable, because the police officers' decision to fire was a free, deliberate and informed intervening act
3. CLiable, because the police acted reasonably in self-defence and did not break the chain of causation
4. DLiable only if the police officers are also convicted

Duress as a defence is generally NOT available in English law to a charge of:

1. ADrug possession
2. BMurder
3. CTheft
4. DCriminal damage

D, who honestly but wrongly believes V is attacking a stranger, punches V. Following R v Williams (Gladstone), D:

1. AMust prove the belief on the balance of probabilities
2. BIs judged on the facts as D honestly believed them to be
3. CIs liable, because the mistake was about the facts
4. DIs liable, because the mistaken belief was not based on reasonable grounds

Why is the principle of "lex certa" important in criminal law?

1. ACriminal laws must be clear enough for people to foresee what is punishable
2. BLaws must be certain to be enforced, so the police have no discretion in applying them
3. COnly certain crimes can be prosecuted
4. DJudges must be certain before sentencing

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. BThe defendants were guilty only of attempted murder
3. CThere was no murder because the mens rea existed only before the act that actually caused death
4. DThe series of acts formed one transaction, so actus reus and mens rea coincided