Whenever a crime is defined by a result — a death, an injury — the prosecution cannot simply show the defendant behaved badly. It must prove that the defendant's conduct actually caused the prohibited outcome. Causation is the bridge between act and consequence, and as a solicitor advising on or defending a charge like homicide, it is often where a case is won or lost.
The principles are precise, and applying them to messy real-world facts — botched treatment, a victim's panicked escape, a freely chosen act — is the skill that matters. This lesson builds that skill step by step.
What this lesson covers:
- Overview and Factual Causation — why causation matters in result crimes and how the 'but for' test works as the starting point.
- Legal Causation — the requirement that the act be an operating and substantial cause, not the sole or main one.
- The Thin Skull Rule — taking the victim as you find them, including physical, psychological and belief-based vulnerabilities.
- Intervening Acts (Novus Actus Interveniens) — when a later event, including medical treatment or a natural event, breaks the chain.
- Acts of the Victim and Third Parties — how foreseeability governs escape attempts, third-party reactions, and free self-administration of drugs.