Unit 3 - Voluntary Manslaughter

There are 3 special defences to a charge of murder;

1. Diminished Responsibility - Homicide Act 1957

2. Loss of Control - Coroners and Justice Act 2009

3. Suicide Pact - Homicide Act 1957

They are partial defences meaning that if one of these defences is successful then the offence of murder is reduced to manslaughter.

Diminished Responsibility

• Set out in the s 2(1) Homicide Act as amended by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The effect of this section is;

A person who kills or is a party to the killing of another is not to be convicted or murder if he was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning which;

a) Arose from a recognised medical condition

b) Substantially impaired D's ability to:

1. Understand the nature of his conduct; or

2. Form a rational judgement; or

3. Exercise self-control and

c) Provide an explanation for D's acts and omissions in doing or being a party to the killing

1. The burden of proof is on the defendant, but D need only prove it on the balance of probabilities

Abnormality of mental functioning - Recognised Medical condition

• The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 amended the definition of diminished responsibility. The phrase was 'abnormality of mind'.

• In Byrne (1960) - The Court of Appeal described this as 'a state of mind so different from that of ordinary human beings that the reasonable man would term it abnormal'.

• The defendant was a sexual psychopath who strangled and mutilated a woman.              Medical evidence was that his abnormality of mind meant he was unable to control his pervert desires. Convicted of manslaughter.

• The test created for abnormality of mental functioning - D's mental functioning was so different from that of an ordinary human being that the reasonable man would term it abnormal and it must arise from a 'recognised medical condition'

• This includes; psychological and physical conditions, mental disorder, depressive illness, paranoia, battered woman syndrome, epilepsy, sleep disorders or diabetes.

Abnormality off mental functioning - Substantial impairment

• The abnormality must substantially impair the D mental responsibility for his acts or omissions in doing or being a party to the killing

• D's ability to do one of 3 things must be substantially impaired

1. To understand the nature of his conduct

• D is an automatic state and doesn't know what he is doing

• D suffers from delusions e.g. Thinks that he is killing the devil but is actually killing someone

• D has sever learning difficulties/very low mental age so he doesn't understand what they are doing

1. To form a rational judgement

• D does not know the nature of his conduct

• D suffers from paranoia or schizophrenia

• Battered women's syndrome

1. To exercise self control

• Byrne 1960

Provides an explanation for D's conduct

• D has to prove that the abnormality of mental functioning provides an explanation for his acts (or omissions)

• There has to be a casual connection between the abnormality of mental functioning and the killing

• It must be a significant factor in the killing

Intoxication…