1. Murder Scenarios
For each of the following scenarios, discuss whether you think the actus reus and the mens
rea for murder are present. Assign as many different (relevant) cases as you can to each
scenario.
1. Ralf and Rocky are members of a gang. Graham was supposed to deliver some drugs
to them but he ate them instead. Ralf and Rocky were so angry that they decided to kill
him to teach him a lesson. They followed him to a bar at night and waited for him to
come out. They could only see the bottom of his trousers because they were hiding
behind some bins, but when they saw his red trainers they knew it was him. They
jumped out and shot him in the chest. Unfortunately it was Phil the postman. As Phil
was taken to hospital the paramedics dropped his stretcher and gave him some
morphine, which he was allergic to. Phil died from his injuries
2. Fran has a small child, Frank. Fran saw Frank playing by a deep pond. She saw a
banana skin lying on the ground, but didn’t mention anything to him. He slipped and fell
in the water. Fran ran to the pond, but she was wearing a new jumper and didn’t want
to ruin it. Frank drowned.
3. Dan had a shiny new gun, full of bullets. He started waving it around down the park with
his friends. They were so scared they ran away. Jonny climbed a nearby tree to get
away. Dan stood under it shouting “I can still get you, look!! This gun is really loud,
listen!” He fired the gun up towards Jonny and hit him in the arm. Jonny fell out of the
tree and landed on his head – he died instantly. Jonny said to the police “I didn’t want
him to die! I was only playing.”
4. Floss is an executioner in the army. During a war she gets to shoot soldiers that are
trying to escape from the frontline. Luke didn’t like the War so tried to run away. Floss
was instructed to execute him at dawn with a firing squad. She did, now he’s dead.
5. Pippa is a burglar. One day she broke into Will’s house to steal his pension money but
he was still in. He walked in on her whilst she was searching his freezer for any cash.
She was startled when he came in shouting at her so she turned around with a frozen
chicken in her hand and beat him over the head with it until he stopped screaming. By
then he had also stopped breathing. Pippa phoned the ambulance, but didn’t hang
around to see if she could help him. Will died.