R v Sheehan and Moore [1975] 1 WLR 739

Court: Court of Appeal

Facts: D and another person were charged with murder after a violent attack on a victim. Both defendants were extremely intoxicated at the time of the attack and argued that their intoxicated state negated the specific intent required for a murder conviction.

Held: The Court of Appeal held that extreme intoxication can negate the mens rea required for specific intent crimes like murder. The court ruled that while intoxication does not negate the actus reus, it can affect the ability to form the necessary intent for the crime, potentially reducing a murder charge to manslaughter.

💡Levelup: This case is significant for its treatment of intoxication in relation to specific intent crimes, clarifying that while intoxication does not negate the actus reus, it can affect the ability to form the requisite mens rea for murder, potentially leading to a manslaughter conviction instead.