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15.10.18
Manslaughter sentencing guidelines published
The first definitive guidelines for manslaughter offences will come into force on 1 November 2018. The guidelines will apply to all offenders over the age of 18 who fall to be sentenced on or after that date. Corporate manslaughter offences are not covered in this guideline and continue to be dealt with under guidelines issued…
Read more9.02.18
Criminal Law : Doctor struck off and convicted of manslaughter – professional errors made under pressure.
In December 2015, Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba, an Accident & Emergency doctor, was found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court of gross negligence manslaughter of six-year-old Jack Adcock, who had been admitted to the Leicester Royal Infirmary in February 2011. Jack had a known heart condition and had been admitted with vomiting and diarrheaoa. During his admission…
Read more6.02.17
Diminished Responsibility: A defence to murder
“Diminished responsibility” is a defence to murder. The burden of proof is on the defendant to show that is more likely than not that he suffered from such abnormality of the mind that, having unlawfully killed another person, his conviction ought to be for manslaughter as opposed to murder. The practical effect, in so far…
Read more28.08.16
When does a professional blunder become a homicide?
An optometrist who missed ‘obvious signs’ of a lethal build-up of fluid on a boy’s brain has been convicted of manslaughter at Ipswich Crown Court and sentenced to a two year term of imprisonment, suspended for two years pending 200 hours of unpaid work under a Supervision Order. Vincent Barker, 8, died five months after…
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