MURDER

• Lord Coke - murder is defined as the unlawful killing of a reasonable creature of being under the kingspeace with malice aforethought, expressed or implied
• Homicide involves an unlawful killing but they vary depending on the mens rea of the defendant
• Murder requires malice aforethought which can be expressed or implied
• Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965
• A whole life sentence is either 30 or 15 years
• The Law Reform (Year and a Day Rule) Act 1996
• Law Refrom Act 1996 - removed the rule that V must die within a year and a day of the attack otherwise D could not be charged with murder. There is now no time limit on when death occurs although if three years has lapsed the AG's permission must be sought to pursue the case
• Implied intent - the intention to cause GBH