The queen v dudley and stephens case brief. Queen v. Dudley case brief webapi.bu.edu 2022-10-15

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The Queen v Dudley and Stephens is a famous legal case that took place in the United Kingdom in 1884. It involved two men, Edward Dudley and Thomas Stephens, who were charged with the murder of a cabin boy named Richard Parker, during a shipwreck in the Indian Ocean. The case raised significant ethical and moral questions about the limits of survival and the rights of individuals in extreme situations.

The story began in July 1884, when the yacht Mignonette set sail from Southampton, England, bound for Sydney, Australia. The vessel was captained by Edwin Stephens and had a crew of four, including Dudley, Stephens, and Parker. Shortly after departing, the yacht encountered a severe storm and capsized. The crew managed to escape onto a life raft, but they were left adrift in the open ocean without any supplies.

As days passed and the raft drifted further from land, it became clear that the crew would not be able to survive without some form of sustenance. Dudley and Stephens decided to kill Parker, who was the youngest and weakest member of the crew, and eat his body in order to stay alive. The two men later claimed that they had acted in self-defense, believing that Parker was going to die anyway and that their own survival depended on his death.

When the life raft was finally rescued by a German vessel, Dudley and Stephens were arrested and charged with murder. The case was heard in the Old Bailey, the central criminal court in London, and generated widespread public interest and debate. The main issue at trial was whether Dudley and Stephens could be found guilty of murder when they had acted in self-defense and in the belief that their own lives were in danger.

The jury ultimately found Dudley and Stephens guilty of murder, and they were sentenced to death. However, their sentence was later commuted to six months in prison, and they were eventually released on parole. The case remains a significant landmark in legal history, as it established the principle that the necessity of self-defense cannot be used as a defense in cases of murder.

In conclusion, the Queen v Dudley and Stephens case is a classic example of the legal and ethical dilemmas that can arise in extreme situations. It highlights the complex moral questions that can arise when individuals are faced with the prospect of survival and the limits of acceptable behavior in such circumstances. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the rights of others, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Case Briefs for test #2 Flashcards

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

Stephens and Dudley were tempted to kill Parker but temptation itself is not an excuse for murdering him. The first two days the crew survived on turnips, and then Brooks saw a turtle and they ate it. First it was contended that the conclusion of the special verdict as entered on the record, to the effect that the jury find their verdict in accordance, either way, with the judgment of the Court, was not put to them by my learned Brother, and that its forming part of the verdict on the record invalidated the whole verdict. Dudley and Stephens were shipwrecked when sailing on the English yacht Mignonette, which was a 52-foot cruiser that had been built in 1867. Brooks and the victim, Richard Parker Mr.

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The Queen vs. Dudley and webapi.bu.edu

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

First it is said that it follows from various definitions of murder in books of authority, which definitions imply, if they do not state, the doctrine, that in order to save your own life you may lawfully take away the life of another, when that other is neither attempting nor threatening yours, nor is guilty of any illegal act whatever towards you or any one else. Nam risus ante, dapibus a molestie consequat, ultrices ac magna. The facts found on the special verdict shew that the prisoners were not guilty of murder, at the time when they killed Parker, but killed him under the pressure of necessity. That in this boat they had no supply of water and no supply of food, except two 1 lb. Nam r , dictum vitae odio. Points of Law - Legal Principles in this Case for Law Students. But are these not fundamental rights that everyone is guaranteed under the Constitution? Dudley with the assent of Mr.

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Regina v. Dudley and Stephens

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

Seven Englishmen had prepared themselves in the Island of St. Their unfortunate circumstances also do not lend leniency to the legal definition of murder. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur a sum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Right then a wave struck the yacht and washed away the lee bulwark. That on that day the prisoners spoke of their having families, and suggested it would be better to kill the boy that their lives should be saved, and Dudley proposed that if there was no vessel in sight by the morrow morning, the boy should be killed. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. When an action brings happiness to the majority, it is considered as the right thing to do.

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The Queen V. Dudley And Stephens Case Study

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

He ordered the one lifeboat to be lowered. June 10, 2016 The Philosophers Mill and Kant provide divergent views on morals and …show more content… The belief that Parker should have been given the right to choose. At the trial, both Dudley and Stephens were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. No vessel appeared the next day, so Mr. Christopher one of the Caribbean Islands for a cruise in a boat for a period of one night only, but a storm drove them so far out to sea that they could not get back to port before seventeen days.

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The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

An order of the Court has been made to bring the record from one part of the court into this chamber, which is another part of the same court; the record is here in obedience to that order; and we are all of opinion that the objection fails. But if this could be even doubtful upon Lord Hale's words, Lord Hale himself has made it clear. Is there, then, any authority for the proposition which has been presented to us? This question arose in The Queen v. War is full of instances in which it is a man's duty not to live, but to die. They say on this subject: We are certainly not prepared to suggest that necessity should in every case be a justification. On a leave to appeal from the Superior Court of Canada SCC , Mr.

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the queen v dudley and stephens

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

The next day there was still no hope of a rescue. Pellentesque dapibus efficitur laoreet. The trial court granted plaintiffs' request for injunction and defendants appealed - The Court compared the value of Madison's land to Ducktown and found that the loss to Madison was only a few thousand dollars, but if the mine closed, it would cost millions and put lots of people out of work Decision: Court did allow Madison to collect damages for the damage to his farm, they just wouldn't issue an injunction to shut down the smelting operation - Where: Ohio, 1971 - Civil, Action for abatement of a nuisance - Chemical company accused of dumping mercury into streams that reached lake Eire; which contaminated and polluted waters - Case went straight to Supreme Court very usual - Ohio loses the case dissenting judge - Justice Douglas states there should be a special master appointed to authorize and conduct scientific tests panel of scientific advisers - Decision: Douglas filed a dissenting opinion - Where: M. They will write your papers from scratch. Nam lacinia pulvinar tortor nec facilisis.

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The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

The Court conviction must be affirmed. Under these circumstances the jury say that they are ignorant whether those who killed him were guilty of murder, and have referred it to this Court to determine what is the legal consequence which follows from the facts which they have found. Consequently, large plumes of smoke spread across the countryside and onto plaintiffs' lands, destroying timber and harming crops - Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief to stop defendants' use of the "roast piles" method. This principle has been extended to include the case of a man killing another to prevent him from committing some great crime upon a third person. When it appeared that the whole party would likely die of thirst and starvation, the Defendants decided to sacrifice Mr. Parker for the good of the rest.


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Queen v. Dudley case brief webapi.bu.edu

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

That at the time of the act in question there was no sail in sight, nor any reasonable prospect of relief. In the present case the prisoners were in circumstances where no assistance could be given. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteDemy. Permitting such a defense to be asserted raises poignant questions such as how does one measure the comparative values of lives and who decides such things. The contention that it could be anything else was, to the minds of us all, both new and strange, and we stopped the Attorney General in his negative argument in order that we might hear what could be said in support of a proposition which appeared to us to be at once dangerous, immoral, and opposed to all legal principle and analogy.

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The Queen V. Dudley And Stephens Case Analysis

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

On the application of the Crown they were again adjourned to the 4th of December, and the case ordered to be argued before a Court consisting of five judges. Dudley and the crew were able to fortunately get a few navigational instruments along with some turnips, but no fresh water. If, therefore, Lord Hale is clear -- as he is -- that extreme necessity of hunger does not justify larceny, what would he have said to the doctrine that it justified murder? The case cited by Puffendorf in his Law of Nature and Nations, which was referred to at the trial, has been found, upon examination in the British Museum, in the work of Nicholaus Tulpius, a Dutch writer, and it is clear. The names of the four …show more content… '; 'Would it make a difference if Parker gave consent to be the one being killed? Pellentesque dapibus efficitur laoreet. In the scenario mentioned above, if the family was not feeling anything empirical, they would not want to end the life of another human being because of their loss. The group was cast away in a storm on the high seas and was compelled to put into an open boat that had no supply of food or water. Kitts, when that island was possessed partly by France and partly by this country, somewhere about the year 1641.

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The Queen vs. Dudley and Stephens

the queen v dudley and stephens case brief

After the group had been without food for seven days and without water for five days, the Defendants spoke to Mr. Nam risus ante, dapibus a molestie consequat, ultrices ac magna. Much of the prevailing authority at the time spoke of necessity in terms of what is now called self-defense, i. Nor is this to be regretted. Nam lacinia pulvinar tortor nec facilisis. Pellentesque dapibus efficitur laoreet. It is, if possible, yet clearer that the doctrine contended for receives no support from the great authority of Lord Hale.

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