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LW2220 Criminal Law Midsummer Online Exam
Criminal Law (LW2220)
University of Leicester
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Midsummer Online Exams 2023/
Summative Assessment
Department: Leicester Law School
Module Code and Title: LW2220 Criminal Law
Word Limit: 3000 words in total
Number of Questions: 7
Number of Pages: 5
Submission Deadline: Friday 17 May 2024 by 13:30 BST
Instructions to Candidates:
Answer THREE questions. The question in SECTION A is COMPULSORY. Students should answer ONE question from SECTION B and ONE question from SECTION C.
Each answer should be no more than 1000 words, including references, with an overall word limit of 3000 words. If your question has more than one part, you should split the maximum word count
appropriately. Penalties will apply for exceeding the overall word limit.
Please use Microsoft Word and NOT Turnitin to check your word count.
This is a timed online exam. You are permitted to access appropriate resources to support your answers. You are not required to use OSCOLA referencing or provide a bibliography.
Your overall mark will be a calculated average of the required number of answers. Each question will be marked out of 100.
Although you have 4 hours to complete this exam, you should aim to complete the writing of your answers within 3 hours. The extra hour should be used for reading through the questions and
ensuring that your work is submitted by the stated deadline.
If you have alternative exam arrangements in place by AccessAbility, you should follow the
instructions as provided by the Law Support Team.
You will need to submit your work as a Word Document via Turnitin. All other formats cannot be
accepted and will not be marked.
When uploading your assessment, please ensure that in the ‘Submission Title’ box, you only enter
your student number as this is the only way of identifying your assessment. Failure to do so may mean that we are unable to identify your submission and you will be recorded as a non-submission.
There will not be a late submission period. Students who do not submit in time will have the
assessment automatically deferred to the next assessment period. For this reason, you are encouraged to submit your assessment in good time in case of technical difficulties.
By submitting this assessment, I confirm adherence to the Honour Code.
Section C: Problem
- Paloma, a solicitor, attends an awards event hosted by a local firm of solicitors, Oadby Law. There is lots of food and alcoholic drinks provided. Paloma indulges in their offering, slowly becoming drunk throughout the evening. Realising that she is feeling quite tipsy, she orders a soft drink to help sober up. The barman, Cooper, thinking it amusing to see Paloma in this state, adds vodka to her orange juice. Brandon, a trainee solicitor, speaks to Paloma about how difficult it is to be a trainee solicitor. Responding aggressively, Paloma waves her umbrella at him, causing Brandon to stumble back and hit his back on a table nearby, resulting in bruising and pain.
To alleviate his pain, Brandon searches one of the nearby offices for some pain relief medication. He opens a drawer and finds a bottle with what looks to him like Paracetamol inside. He takes and swallows two tablets. The tablets actually contain amphetamines. After a short while, angry at Paloma’s comments, he strides towards Paloma but knocks down Sheila, who is carrying a tray of used glasses. The glasses shatter, causing deep cuts to Sheila’s arms and face. The police are called, and Brandon is taken to the police station. During his interview, he stated that he had no recollection of the events.
Haroon, a local passer-by, notices that the firm is hosting an event. With the aim of having free food and drink, he enters the building and takes some food and an expensive bottle of champagne, hiding the bottle in his coat. On his way out, he is confronted by one of the firm's partners, Nathan. Haroon opens his coat to return the champagne. Thinking that Haroon has a weapon and is going to harm him, Nathan hits him over the head with one of the heavy glass awards. This causes Haroon to lose consciousness. He comes around while waiting for the emergency services and experiences pain and stiffness to his head and neck.
Discuss the criminal liability of Paloma, Brandon, and Nathan for non-fatal offences against the person, including any relevant defences or denials of responsibility.
- Zach has just moved to Leicester with his family from another part of the country. He is currently unemployed and has little to do with his time. He starts to hang around in the street with Donnell, who is a similar age (22). They occasionally buy cannabis from a local dealer, Vince, and smoke it in the local park. Zach knows Donnell always carries a pocket knife to protect himself against the local gangs. Zach does not particularly like Donnell and finds he can be hot-headed and unpredictable, but he does not know anybody else to hang around with.
One day, Donnell suggests that rather than paying for cannabis, they should demand that Vince hand over the drugs free of charge, under threat of being stabbed. Zach is not keen on the idea but does not have much money, so he agrees to go along with Donnell. Zach tells Donnell that Donnell should not use the knife and that if Vince does not give in to the threat immediately, they should abandon the plan. They meet Vince in their usual spot at the edge of the park behind the public toilets. When Vince shows Zach and Donnell the drugs and asks for their money, Donnell pulls a large machete out of his jacket and tells Vince to hand over the drugs. Surprised that Donnell has a machete and is not just using his pocket knife, Zach shouts, “No, Donnell, what are you doing?” Donnell repeats his command, but Vince refuses to give him the drugs, at which point Donnell stabs Vince in the chest. Zach and Donnell run away from the scene in opposite directions, but both are later arrested, having been identified via CCTV footage.
Donnell undergoes psychiatric evaluation whilst awaiting trial. He is found to be suffering from schizophrenia and claims that he heard a voice tell him to stab Vince. In interview, Zach says he never expected the situation to get out of hand, but that he was scared of what Vince might do when they threatened him. Although he foresaw that Donnell might stab Vince, he only thought that might happen if Donnell had to act in self-defence, using his pocket knife.
Discuss the criminal liability of Donnell and Zach for the death of Vince.
- Elias and Raj are labourers who work for the same company. They have never got on well together and constantly argue and play tricks on each other. One day, they are left by their boss to complete a job repairing the railings on a pier at the seaside. The weather takes a turn for the worst, becoming very blustery. Elias is uncomfortable working at the edge of the pier as he fears heights. Raj teases him about this and becomes increasingly irritated by Elias’ lack of contribution to the work. Wanting to finish the job quickly, Raj tells Elias to get a move on and help him by holding a piece of railing in place. When Elias refuses to come near to the side of the pier Raj gets his phone out and starts to film Elias, whilst taunting him for being a wimp. Elias reacts by lunging at Raj to try to grab his phone from him. Raj jumps backwards, slips on the wet concrete, and falls from the pier into the choppy water below. He cries out for help. Elias is frozen by fear and fails to react. He has left his mobile phone in the van back at the car park, a two-minute walk away. He looks around for help, but because of the weather, the waterfront is deserted, and there is nobody around. He fails to notice the lifebuoy ring nearby at the end of the pier. After ten minutes, a passing dog-walker notices the commotion and calls for the lifeguard. Raj is dragged from the sea but is found to have died within a few minutes of entering the water.
Discuss whether Elias is criminally liable for the death of Raj.
END OF PAPER
LW2220 Criminal Law Midsummer Online Exam
Module: Criminal Law (LW2220)
University: University of Leicester
