Saturday 28 April 2012

Y is for Year-and-a-day Rule

This phrase is associated with murder within criminal law.

This phrase was used in the common law and was a rule precluding prosecution for murder where the victim had died a year and a day, or later, after the infliction of the ultimately fatal wounds. This rule has now been abolished due to the advancement in medicine, such as life support technology which can extend the interval between the murderous act and subsequent death. It was abolished in 1996 by the Law Reform (Year and a day Rule) Act.

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