An objective test (the third component): A person of D's sex and age, with a normal degree of tolerance and self-restraint and in the circumstances of D, might have reacted in the same or in a similar way to D. Conduct taking the form of an unlawful act involving a danger of some harm that resulted in death ("unlawful and dangerous act manslaughter").

The administrator of a posh psychiatric clinic in London has been murdered; the setting is the early 1960s, so electro-convulsive and LSD treatments are a couple of the clinic's offerings, in addition to other therapies. (Not that these had anything to do with the plot; I just had to keep reminding myself that the book is more than 50 years old.) The suspect was motivated by compassion alone and only in circumstances where the preceding factor is present; A Mind to Murder (1995): Dalgliesh, assisted by Detective Chief Inspector John Martin ( Robert Pugh), is called in following the grotesque murder of a middle-aged woman. Okay, the story of a woman who works in a medical facility (psychiatric, circa 1962 where lysergic acid (LSD) treatments are de rigueur) is brutally murdered - with a chisel, no less! - in the records archive on the basement floor. Yep, it starts with that, isn't too-graphically presented and we're left with the handsome and urbane Adam Dalgliesh, and his assistant Martin, to sort it all out. Series 1, Episodes 5 & 6: A Taste for Death: Two dead bodies are discovered in a church - one is a former Member of Parliament, while the other is a local vagrant. The investigation leads Dalgliesh, DS Masterson and DS Miskin into the world of the British nobility, where everyone seems to have secrets. [35]The suspect pressured, coerced or controlled the victim to make the decision or did not take reasonable steps to ensure that any other person had not pressured, coerced or controlled the victim. Vulnerable victims may be more susceptible to being unduly influenced to view themselves as a burden;

For the relevant law and jury directions for diminished responsibility, see the Judicial College's Crown Court Compendium, Part I, at 19-2. Dalgliesh, James’s master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James’s singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008.

See also

Very reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s work. P.D. James really does demonstrate the same mystery writing skills that Christie did. She lays out the crime and all the various suspects and then sets Dalgleish and Martin among them to sort things out. Two police cats amongst the psychiatric pigeons. Just like Poirot, Dalgleish is able to see through the clutter to the heart of things. Unlike Poirot, he is able to do so without being annoyingly self-satisfied. a b c d Young, Laurel A. (9 June 2017). P.D. James: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-2890-5.

sets out the importance of considering murder or manslaughter in cases of suicide, in particular in a domestic abuse context Series 1, Episodes 1 & 2: Shroud for a Nightingale: In January 1975, a student nurse dies during a training demonstration and Dalgliesh (Carvel) is sent to investigate, accompanied by his partner DS Charles Masterson ( Jeremy Irvine). [33] The suspect reported the death to the police and fully assisted them in their enquiries into the circumstances and their part in it. James, P. D. (20 November 2008). "Original Sin". Faber & Faber . Retrieved 25 June 2023– via Google Books. No "unlawful act" for the purpose of unlawful act manslaughter occurs, where a person only supplies drugs or materials to another, who then in turn administers the drug themselves and dies. This is the case even where a person assists another to take the drug by performing preparatory acts, such as applying a tourniquet or preparing a syringe for injection. The House of Lords considering the point, stated that the criminal law generally assumed the existence of free will and, subject to certain exceptions, informed adults of sound mind were treated as autonomous beings able to make their own decisions on how to act: R v Kennedy (Simon) (2007) 3 WLR 612 – where K supplied the drug to B, who then had a choice, knowing the facts, whether to inject himself or not. Gross negligence manslaughter

Further reading

James, P. D. (17 April 2012). Shroud for a Nightingale. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-9779-7. Where all of the elements to prove murder are present, including an intention to cause death or grievous bodily harm, a partial defence may be raised in three circumstances. Unlike a complete defence such as self-defence, these operate to reduce guilt for murder to guilt for manslaughter. They are: diminished responsibility, loss of control and killing in pursuance of a suicide pact. Diminished Responsibility R v Mujuru (2007) EWCA Crim 1249 (application of the ordinary meaning of "significant risk", which is not "more than minimal") Where there is other offending in addition to murder, prosecutors should consider whether additional charges are merited, notwithstanding that conviction for murder will result in a life sentence. Additional charges may be merited as part of presenting the case, for instance. They may serve to focus the jury on making findings of fact in relation to events prior to the murder. Additional charges may reflect important aggravating features of the case which fall to be considered by the judge in setting the minimum term. They may be relevant if the defendant is to be released on licence, for instance, if they demonstrate a risk of future sexual offending.