“No manslaughter liability when adult voluntarily self-administers drugs and dies.”
Kennedy prepared a syringe of heroin and gave it to Bosque, who then injected himself and died. Kennedy was convicted of manslaughter and supplying controlled drugs.
Whether a person who supplies drugs to another can be guilty of manslaughter when that person voluntarily administers the drugs to themselves and dies.
The House of Lords allowed the appeal and quashed the manslaughter conviction, upholding only the drugs supply conviction.
This landmark case clarified the law on causation in drug supply cases and established important principles about individual responsibility and autonomy. It overturned previous Court of Appeal decisions and provides crucial guidance on causation in manslaughter.
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OSCOLA Citation
R v Kennedy (No 2) [2007] UKHL 38
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