R v William Britton Dyson
| Jurisdiction | England & Wales |
| Judgment Date | 01 January 1823 |
| Date | 01 January 1823 |
| Court | High Court of Chancery |
English Reports Citation: 168 E.R. 930
LINCOLN'S INN
1823. rex v. william britton dyson (Murder. If a man encourages another to murder himself and is present abetting him while he does so, such person is guflty of murder as a principal. If two encourage each other to murder themselves together, and one does so, but the other fails in the attempt upon himself, he is a principal in the murder of the other. But if it be uncertain whether the deceased really killed himself or whether he came to his death by accident before the moment when he meant to destroy himself, it will not be mmrder in either ) The prisoner was tried before Mr. Justice Best, at the September Old Bailey sesaons in the year 1823, on an mdictmemt, which stated that he, on &c., at &c., in and uport Eliza Anthony, spinster, feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did make an assault, and that he with both his hands the said Eliza Anfhony, into the waters of a certain river there called the river Thames, feloniously, &c. did push, force, and throw, and that he by such pushing, forcing, and throwing of the said Eliza Anthony into the waters of the said river as afotesaid, the said Eliza Anthony, in and with the waters of the said river, feloniously, &c. did suffocate and drown, of which said suffocation and drowning the said Eliza Anthony died ; and that he the said Eliza Anthony, in manner afoieaaid, feloniously, &c. did kill and mmrder. The jnisoner cohabited with the deceased for several months previous to her death, and! she was with child by him They were in a state of extreme distress. Being una,ble to pay for their lodf ings they quitted, them in the evening of the night on wbjfoh th deceased was drowned, and had no place of shelter. They pawed the evenmg together at the theatre After the performance was over, they e*Hed at a house in Sherrajd Street, and from thence went to Westminster Bridge, to eftown themselves in the Thames. They got into a boat, and from that into! another boat. The water where the first boat which they entered was moored wasf not of ssffieieBt depth to drown them They talked together for some time in the boat into which they [24] had Tast got, he standing with his foot on the edge of the boat, and she learning on Mm The prisoner then found himseM in the water, but whether by actual throwing of himself in or by accident did not appear. He struggled to get back into the boat again, and then found that Eliza Anthony...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
R (Purdy) v DPP
...was guilty of murder as a principal in the second degree, and this applied equally where that person was the survivor of a suicide pact - Rex v Dyson (1823) Russ. & Ry 523; R v Croft [1944] KB 6 A person who encouraged or assisted another to commit suicide but who was not present when the ......
-
IL v R
...Matters Relating to that Subject, Digested under Proper Heads, 8th ed (1824), vol 1 at 78. 37 R v Dyson (1823) Russ & Ry 523 at 524 [ 168 ER 930 at 931]; R v Jessop (1877) 16 Cox CC 204 at 38 Kenny, Outlines of Criminal Law, (1902). 39 Kenny, Outlines of Criminal Law, (1902) at 112. 40 Kenn......
-
R v Elizabeth Burgess
...have been tried before the statute Besley in reply. The cases that have been cited on the other side are not in point In Rex v. Dyson (Russ. & R. 523) it was held that, if a man encourages another to LE.&GA. 282. REGINA V. THOMAS BARRETT 1389 murder himself, and is present aiding and abetti......
-
R v Henry Russell
...the probable consequences of the act 1 Hale, 431. There may be an accessory before the fact to self-murder 4 Black Com 1H9. Rex v. Dyson, Russ & Ry. 523, shews that if a person be present, encouraging another to murder himself, he is a principal; and if so, a person encouraging and aiding b......