Manslaughter by loss of control: sentencing primary victims who kill

Wake, Nicola (2019) Manslaughter by loss of control: sentencing primary victims who kill. Criminal Law Review (4). pp. 291-314. ISSN 0011-135X

[img] Text (Full text)
Wake - Manslaughter by Loss of Control AAM.doc - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0.

Download (160kB)
Official URL: https://www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk/catalogue/produc...

Abstract

This article critiques the definitive guideline on sentencing loss of control manslaughter in England and Wales. The guideline fails to address adequately the circumstances of victims of abuse who kill (primary victims). The article suggests that the primary victim is disadvantaged by the guideline in three ways. First, the guideline includes a policy against considering at sentencing factors that have been assessed at trial in establishing whether the partial defence applies (policy against double counting). Secondly, the guideline does not address the impact of power imbalances on the primary victim’s decision to carry a weapon for the purposes of assessing culpability. Third, there is a lack of guidance relating to the relevance of domestic abuse as aggravating/mitigating factors in the case of primary victims. Recommendations for developing the guideline are advanced throughout.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Domestic violence and abuse; Loss of control; Manslaughter; Sentencing guidelines; Victims
Subjects: M900 Other in Law
Department: Faculties > Business and Law > Northumbria Law School
Depositing User: Paul Burns
Date Deposited: 11 Feb 2019 13:00
Last Modified: 05 Mar 2020 03:30
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37929

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics