duress is a defence based on the fact that D has been forced to commit the crime through a direct threat or by duress of circumstance.
The defence cannot be used for murder or attempted murder, made clear in the case of Howe. it includes all party sof a murder including third partys.
The rule in Howe applies to defendents of all ages, showign unfairness in the case of Wilson when a boy was charged with murder of his mother.
In Howe, it was stated in the obiter dicta that it was no defence to attempts. This is highlighted in Gotts when d was charged for stabbing his mother to escape violence from the father.
a direct threat is when a person is overborne and commits an act that he would not normally do. It must be of serious injury or death.
Any lesser threats do not amount to duress, however in valderma Vega, the cumlative effects of threats can be considered, shown when D importated cocaine in order to escape threats of his homosexuality aswell as a death threat.
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