Are there different
types of
manslaughter? A
guide
ABV Solicitors
Most people have heard of the crime of manslaughter.
And, if you have found yourself recently arrested for this criminal act,
you may be surprised to learn that even in this fairly strict area of the law,
there are different types of manslaughter that you can be found guilty of.
And, much in the same way as the other spectrums of criminal
activities, each type of manslaughter carries a different penalty under UK
law. So, in this short guide, you will be introduced to the different types of
manslaughter by a criminal solicitor.
Voluntary manslaughter
The first type is voluntary manslaughter, and this is committed when a
person kills another unlawfully. But also where a partial defence may apply.
Not very helpful as a definition.
Try to envision a couple of people having an argument, which is a
common practice, and one of them steps forward in a threatening manner
and threatens to assault the other. The person being threatened pushes this
person back and they fall, hit their head and subsequently pass away. This
would fall under the realms of self-defence and according to a criminal
solicitor, is a good example of this kind of manslaughter. Even if you may
have intended to kill that person due to the heat of the moment, this could
still be tried as voluntary manslaughter.
Involuntary manslaughter
Involuntary manslaughter is a bit different and according to a criminal
solicitor, this occurs when somebody unintentionally kills someone else
either due to negligence or recklessness.
This can occur in the medical community. For example, if a doctor
prescribed a patient medication which may cause them more harm than
good due to other medications or underlying medical conditions, this is
negligence. If that patient then dies, this would certainly fall within the
realm of involuntary manslaughter. The doctor did not mean to kill the
patient, but due to their recklessness, they did.
Corporate manslaught