Causation

• R v White - but for test

  D put poison in his mother's drink but she died of a heart attack before drinking it.
• R v Pagget - but for test

  D used his girlfriend as a human shield against the police and the police shot her
• R v Jordan - the medical treatment was palpably wrong therefore d was not found liable
• R v smith - D was held liable as he caused the initial stab
• R v Cheshire - the actual cause of death was not seen as independent from the original act

  The Defendant shot the Victim in the stomach and thigh. The Victim died from rare complications from the tracheotomy not identified by the doctor
• R v Blaue - thin skull rule

  The Defendant stabbed the Victim who was a Jehovah's witness. The Victim was going to die unless she received a blood transfusion which she refused under religious beliefs therefore the Defendant was found liable.

  Does not break the chain of causation
• R v Roberts - Foreseeability test - the chain of causation will not be broken if the defendant causes the victim to act in a foreseeable way.

  The victim thought she was going to be raped so jumped out of the car.

  chain of causation was not broken
• R v Williams - - Foreseeability test - the chain of causation will not be broken if the defendant causes the victim to act in a foreseeable way.

  The victim jumped out of a moving car and died because the defendant tried to steal his wallet

  it was held that a life was more valuable than a property

  the chain of causation was broken
• R v Malcherek; D attacked v leaving her with severe injuries and on a life support machine. The doctors decided to turn off life support; Held, switching of life support does not break the chain of causation. D guilty for death.