4 articles
Duress in English law
Duress in English law is a common law excuse excusing crimes committed under threats of death or serious injury. Also called duress by threats and duress of circumstances; unavailable for murder, attempted murder and treason; refined by R v Hasan [2005].
Marital coercion
Marital coercion: English common law doctrine presuming a wife committing an offence in her husband's presence acted under his coercion; abolished as presumption 1925, as defence 2014.
R v Hasan
R v Hasan [2005] UKHL 22 (also R v Z) is a House of Lords case and the leading English authority on duress: duress fails where the defendant voluntarily associated with criminals and foresaw violent compulsion; exculpatory statements are not PACE confessions.
R v Ruzic
R v Ruzic, 2001 SCC 24, is a Supreme Court of Canada case in which Marijana Ruzic's acquittal for importing heroin was upheld and the immediacy and presence requirements of the Criminal Code duress defence, s. 17, were struck down under Charter s. 7.