Assignment title: Information


"The Latin maxim, actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea, is fundamental to criminal liability. In the case of Haughton v Smith [1975] AC 476, Lord Hailsham stated that it meant that, 'an act does not make a man guilty of a crime, unless his mind be also guilty'." Nicola Monaghan, Criminal Law Directions (3rd edn, OUP 2014) 15. Explain the meaning of the terms actus reus and mens rea in criminal law. Evaluate whether Lord Hailsham's statement represents an accurate definition of all the elements which should be proved by the prosecution in order to establish liability for a criminal offence