Williams (Gladstone) was a case heard in the English
Court of Appeal in 1983 and established that a mistake of fact can be a successful defence regardless of whether the belief is reasonable or not.
Facts
The defendant saw a youth being dragged along the street by the victim while the youth shouted for help. The victim had seen the youth mug a lady, and had grabbed the youth. The defendant intervened, believing that the young boy was being assaulted. The victim claimed to be a policeman, which was not true, and could not produce a warrant card when asked. A fight followed, and the victim "sustained injuries to his face, loosened teeth and bleeding gums". At the trial the jury were told that mistake can only be a defence if the mistake was reasonable. The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
Judgment
On appeal, Lord Lane gave the leading judgement and stated that:
See also
*
Beckford v R Beckford refers to:
*Beckford, Worcestershire, a village in England
* Beckford (Princess Anne, Maryland), listed on the NRHP in Maryland
*Beckford (surname) Beckford is an English surname derived from Beckford, Worcestershire, or from a similar to ...
9873 All ER 425 Privy Council
*
DPP v Morgan 975
Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using ...
2 All ER 411
*
B v DPP 000
Triple zero, Triple Zero, Zero Zero Zero, Triple 0, Triple-0, 000, or 0-0-0 may refer to:
* 000 (emergency telephone number), the Australian emergency telephone number
* "Triple Zero", a song by AFI from ''Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes''
* Th ...
1 All ER 823
*
O'Grady 1987 3 All ER 420
References
{{reflist
External links
BAILII: Official transcript
W
Court of Appeal (England and Wales) cases
1983 in British law
1983 in case law