“ignorance of the law is no defence”

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Riviera

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Perhaps that's fair if you're a barrister ............. how is the average man in the street supposed to know every law :confused:
 
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Perhaps that's fair if you're a barrister ............. how is the normal man in the street supposed to know every law :confused:

Turn the logic around - imagine trying to apply a system whereby you can simply plead ignorance as a defence...
 
Turn the logic around - imagine trying to apply a system whereby you can simply plead ignorance as a defence...

But why not ........... there are laws, still on the books, that prohibit you from grazing your horse on St Brian's day if it falls in a leap year. How could you know that?
 
But why not ........... there are laws, still on the books, that prohibit you from grazing your horse on St Brian's day if it falls in a leap year. How could you know that?

Daily Mail headline when an asylum seeker breaks some law and announces he didn't realise he couldn't do whatever it was...
 
But why not ........... there are laws, still on the books, that prohibit you from grazing your horse on St Brian's day if it falls in a leap year. How could you know that?

Yeah but they're so out-dated they are considered void. They just haven't been rid of yet.

Apparently a young boy is still supposed to have 2 hours of longbow practice per day :lol:
 
Yeah but they're so out-dated they are considered void. They just haven't been rid of yet.

Apparently a young boy is still supposed to have 2 hours of longbow practice per day :lol:

I picked that as a daft example ........ but there are obscure laws that are still applied.
 
While it couldn't be used as a defence but when it came to sentencing it could be mitigating not to know the law....depending on how serious the crime.
 
Some offences do require guilty knowledge and for that prosecution have to prove, as well as some form of participation, that the defendant knew what he was doing was illegal. For those offences the defendant could be found not guilty if it could not be proved that he was aware that he was committing a crime. An example would be say, smuggling drugs, which requires that the prosecution prove that the defendant was knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the prohibition in force.
 
Perhaps that's fair if you're a barrister ............. how is the average man in the street supposed to know every law :confused:

Then you play the law of ignorance. The greatest law in the land. The immigrants pull that one just before they pull the racist line :lol:
 
Daily Mail headline when an asylum seeker breaks some law and announces he didn't realise he couldn't do whatever it was...

Or the first factory owner that does not follow their first statuatory duty of care
 
A copper freind of mine once told me that you couldn't be done for shoplifting unless they could prove intent. She said that if you say you meant to pay for it but forgot you had it then you couldn't be charged.

I reckon its bullshit like but just saying.
 
Or the first factory owner that does not follow their first statuatory duty of care

You obviously misunderstood the original question ...................

"How is the average man in the street supposed to know every law?"

Read more: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=608990#ixzz1S9ND7NZ7

A copper freind of mine once told me that you couldn't be done for shoplifting unless they could prove intent. She said that if you say you meant to pay for it but forgot you had it then you couldn't be charged.

I reckon its bullshit like but just saying.

Did he have a brass neck ;)
 
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