Lexic.us

Definition of Mens rea

1. Noun. (law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials.

Definition of Mens rea

1. Noun. (legal) a guilty mind, a conscious knowing by the perpetrator that the act s/he committed was illicit ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Mens Rea

Literary usage of Mens rea

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A History of the Criminal Law of England by James Fitzjames Stephen (1883)
"If iu each case there is a '' mens rea," as the maxim seems to imply, "mens rea" must be a name for two states of mind, not merely differing from but ..."

2. Jurisprudence, Or, The Theory of the Law by John William Salmond (1907)
"mens rea. We have seen that the conditions of penal liability are sufficiently indicated by the maxim, Actm non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea. ..."

3. American Law and Procedure by James Parker Hall, James De Witt Andrews (1910)
"The mens rea or guilty mind. From what was said in. the preceding topic, the reader has observed that a crime consists of two elements, the intention and ..."

4. Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia by John Bouvier, Francis Rawle (1914)
"mens rea. A term meaning a guilty intent and commonly used only in ... The maxim relating to "mens rea" means no more than that the definition of all, ..."

5. A Selection of Cases Illustrative of English Criminal Law by Courtney Stanhope Kenny (1901)
"[7n some exceptional crimes, less than the usual mens rea suffices.] SHERRAS v. DE RUTZEN. ... mens rea ..."

6. The Judicial Dictionary, of Words and Phrases Judicially Interpreted, to by Frederick Stroud (1903)
"Guilty Mind: F. KNOWINGLY: mens rea. GU LE. — Gule of August, ie the 1st of August (Termes de la Ley: Cowel). GUN. — For the purposes of the Gun License Act ..."

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