Mistake (criminal Law)
A mistake of fact may sometimes mean, that while a person has committed the physical element of an offence, because they were labouring under a mistake of fact, they never formed the required mens rea, and so will escape liability for offences that require mens rea. This is unlike a mistake of law, which is not usually a defense.
Read more about Mistake (criminal Law): Discussion, Honestly Held But Unreasonable Beliefs, England and Wales
Famous quotes containing the word mistake:
“We make a mistake forsaking England and moving out into the periphery of life. After all, Taormina, Ceylon, Africa, America—as far as we go, they are only the negation of what we ourselves stand for and are: and we’re rather like Jonahs running away from the place we belong.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)