impossibility

• attempting to commit the impossible
• s1 (2) Criminal Attempts Act 1981
• a person may be guilty of attempting to commit an offence even though the facts are such that the commission of the offence is impossible
• Shivpuri


  D can be guilty even if full offence is physically impossible
• legal impossibility

  where D's attempt is impossible because, contrary to their belief, what they are attempting is not an offence known to law
• Taaffe


  if there is no such offence, the D cannot be guilty of attempting it
• factual impossibility


  where what is attempted is a crime known to law, but the circumstances surrounding the attempt make it impossible to commit
• Jones


  the D will be guilty