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M'Naghten Rules? (1 Viewer)

Danoz The Great

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If anybody can tell me what this means it'll be greatly appreciated.
 

MouNtY

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thats the case that defined insanity or set precedents for it.....one of them

it established the concept that a person who is unaware of the nature or consequnces of their actions could not be held responsible for them
 
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townie

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it's an old case that established insansity as a full defence, and i think the "proper" wording is that soembody can get off if

the person did not know they nature or quality of what they were doing, or if they did know it, they did not know it was wrong.
 

Cutieangel

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M'Naughten Rules

Daniel M'Naghten attempted to shoot the prime minister of England but instead shot tis private secretary. He was acquitted of murder because of his mental condition. There was general disquiet about this result, and in 1843 the judges of the House of Lords formulated a set of rules that would apply in such situations in the future. Based on the case, they noted that the accused had suffered a 'disease of the mind' which rendered him incapable of understanding the nature and quality of the unlawful act or of appreciating the difference between right and wrong. In such a case, he, or others similarly afflicted, shoud not be convicted of the offence. This still tends to remain the view of the law. It does mean that the legal definition is different from the modern medical and psychiatric opinion as mental illness. I hope this helps. This case established a set of rules which became the basis of the insanity plea as a result as it is believed that someone in such a condition cannot have a clear judgement of their actions and thus, the insanity plea became a complete defence in the eyes of the law.
 

Danoz The Great

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Well my teacher's marking HSC papers, and we have all these questions which are off this website.
'What is meant my the phrase M'Naughten Rules?' was one of them.
 

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