What is the ratio in R v Tandy?

Alcoholism can only establish abnormality of mind for diminished responsibility if it has caused brain damage or the defendant's drinking has become truly involuntary.

What did the court decide in R v Tandy?

The Court of Appeal upheld the murder conviction, finding that voluntary intoxication from alcoholism alone cannot constitute abnormality of mind for diminished responsibility.

Why is R v Tandy important for diminished responsibility law?

It established the strict test for when alcoholism can support a diminished responsibility defense, preventing voluntary intoxication from being used as a defense to murder.

What is the ratio in R v Tandy?

Alcoholism can only establish abnormality of mind for diminished responsibility if it has caused brain damage or the defendant's drinking has become truly involuntary.

What did the court decide in R v Tandy?

The Court of Appeal upheld the murder conviction, finding that voluntary intoxication from alcoholism alone cannot constitute abnormality of mind for diminished responsibility.

Why is R v Tandy important for diminished responsibility law?

It established the strict test for when alcoholism can support a diminished responsibility defense, preventing voluntary intoxication from being used as a defense to murder.

Criminal1 min read

R v Tandy

[1989] 1 WLR 350Court of Appeal1989

Cite this case in OSCOLA →All Criminal cases →

“Alcoholism can found diminished responsibility only if disease has damaged brain.”

Facts

Tandy killed her daughter while heavily intoxicated. She had a long history of alcohol dependency and claimed diminished responsibility due to alcoholism.

Issues

Whether chronic alcoholism can constitute an abnormality of mind for the purposes of diminished responsibility under s.2 Homicide Act 1957.

Held

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and upheld the murder conviction.

Significance

This case established the strict test for when alcoholism can support diminished responsibility, requiring either brain damage or truly involuntary drinking. It remains the leading authority on alcohol dependency in homicide cases and has been followed consistently.

Read the full brief — free

You're reading the free summary of R v Tandy. Create a free account to unlock the full reasoning, the cited authorities and the verbatim judgment — plus structured briefs for 412,000+ UK judgments.

Create free account Already have one? Sign in

No card required. Free forever.

OSCOLA Citation

R v Tandy [1989] 1 WLR 350

Criminal LawHomicideDiminished ResponsibilityAlcoholism

Read the full judgment elsewhere

Multiple official and mirror sources — pick whichever loads cleanly on your network.

LLBGDL

More Criminal cases

R v Reece Martin Kelly

[2026] EWCA Crim 268

R v Richard Alexander Welsh

[2026] EWCA Crim 466

R v Robert Michael Thomas

[2026] EWCA Crim 305

This case is reproduced verbatim from the public judgment published by The National Archives under the UK Government's Open Government Licence v3.0. If you appear in this case and believe it should not be published — for example because your conviction was quashed on appeal, you have statutory anonymity, or for other privacy reasons — request removal here.