Involuntary Manslaughter - Student Handout with activities and questions Complete topic

This is a teacher’s and student Handout which covers the entire topic of Involuntary Manslaughter.

It is an ivaluable guide to the subject for any AS or A Level student and is also suitable for someone studying Access to Law or similar courses.

It is 20 pages long with an estimated delivery time of around 4 hours.

This is a summary of the document:

The document provides a detailed overview of involuntary manslaughter, distinguishing between Unlawful Act Manslaughter and Gross Negligence Manslaughter, and examining various legal cases to illustrate the principles involved.

• Definition and Distinction: Involuntary manslaughter occurs when the defendant (D) has the actus reus for murder but lacks the necessary mens rea, meaning D did not intend to kill or cause serious harm.
• Types of Involuntary Manslaughter: There are two types: Unlawful Act Manslaughter and Gross Negligence Manslaughter.
• Unlawful Act Manslaughter: This type involves causing death while carrying out a dangerous criminal act. It must be proven that the act was unlawful, dangerous, caused the death, and that D had the mens rea for the act.
• Case Examples for Unlawful Act Manslaughter: Cases such as Lamb, Goodfellow, and Mitchell illustrate the principles of Unlawful Act Manslaughter, showing how the act must be unlawful and dangerous, and how causation is established.
• Gross Negligence Manslaughter: This type involves a breach of duty of care that causes death and is deemed ‘gross’ negligence, worthy of criminal punishment. The leading case is Adomako.
• Duty of Care and Breach: To establish Gross Negligence Manslaughter, it must be shown that D owed a duty of care to V, breached that duty, and that the breach caused V’s death.
• Key Legal Principles: Cases like Donoghue v Stevenson and Caparo v Dickman help determine the duty of care, while cases like Litchfield and Singh illustrate breaches of duty leading to liability.
• Gross Negligence Standard: The negligence must be so severe that it goes beyond mere compensation and shows a disregard for life, as seen in Bateman and Edwards.
• Scenarios and Questions: The document provides various scenarios and questions to help readers understand the application of these legal principles and determine the appropriate type of manslaughter.
• Summary of Legal Cases: A table summarizing the main legal principles of key cases is provided, helping to consolidate understanding of involuntary manslaughter.

This Handout has been updated in light of recent cases and has been used with groups of students across many cohorts and has achieved excellent results.