Murder law reforms and other media oddities

[MatthewWilliam]

In England and Wales, a murder charge will soon be downgraded to manslaughter if the defendant can prove (s)he was "killing in response to words and conduct that made the defendant feel (s)he had a justifyable sense of being wronged.

Here is the story at the BBC in video form. And here’s the written article.

From the article:

…ministers seem to accept that this defence would be very limited in its use. In fact, they can come up with only three scenarios in which it might be run:

1) A rape victim who kills her attacker after he taunts her
2) The mother of a rape victim who kills a man she catches raping her daughter
3) After a long-running dispute between neighbours, one of them kills the other

In other news, a judge has told a Glasgow pensioner that stopping him going to the pub was a “more meaningful” sentence than a prison term for killing his wife.

[Jon_Irenicus]

How does 2) differ from any other form of jumping to a victim’s aid?

-Jon

[MatthewWilliam]

@Jon Irenicus

How does 2) differ from any other form of jumping to a victim’s aid?

Don’t ask me, I don’t have a law degree. [8-)]

[Bostwick]

@MatthewWilliam

1) A rape victim who kills her attacker after he taunts her

What if he just thanks her kindly, off the hook?

Is that supposed to apply to after the fact the or something?

@MatthewWilliam

2) The mother of a rape victim who kills a man she catches raping her daughter

They want to charge this person with manslaughter, really?