actus reus
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English
Etymology
From Late Latin āctus reus (“guilty act”), from Latin āctus (“act”) + reus (“guilty”); after Late Latin and English mens rea.
Pronunciation
Noun
- (law) An act, or series of acts, considered as separate from the intentions or state of mind of the perpetrator in the context of criminal law.
- 1989, James B. Jacobs, Drunk Driving: An American Dilemma, University of Chicago Press, page 65:
- It is hornbook criminal law that criminal offenses are defined in terms of an actus reus (criminal act) and a mens rea (criminal mind).
- 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, page 610:
- A brute emotional reflex to the actus reus, the bad act (‘She killed her husband! Shame!’), could trigger an urge for retribution regardless of her intention.
- 2016, Nicola Monaghan, Criminal Law, 4th edition, Oxford University Press, page 23:
- Every criminal offence must contain actus reus elements. A defendant will not be liable for a criminal offence unless the actus reus of the offence is proved: Deller (1952)36 Cr app r 184. Although the vast majority of criminal offences consist of both actus reus elements and mens rea elements, some criminal offences do not require a mens rea element for every element of the actus reus.
Usage notes
Often, perhaps usually, italicised.
Coordinate terms
Translations
criminal act
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