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05 Aug 2022

Homicide is a very serious criminal offence and includes cases of murder or manslaughter, which are criminal acts that result in the death of another person. The difference between murder and manslaughter is that murder is carried out with the intention to kill or cause serious harm to another person, whilst manslaughter is when another person has been killed but was possibly only meant to be harmed. If you have been accused of either murder or manslaughter then you need to contact our criminal solicitor immediately at ABV Solicitors, because these are both extremely serious charges which can lead to life imprisonment. Our criminal solicitor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it is important that you seek our expert legal advice from the outset, as a murder or manslaughter charge can have a devastating impact on the rest of your life and the lives of a those around you. Speak to our solicitors today and let us put together a strong defence for you.

Our criminal solicitor will find out everything they need to know about the charges that are being made against you. We will also speak to you and find out everything we need to know about your situation. The better we can understand your circumstances, the better case we can form in your defence. A manslaughter charge is preferable to a murder charge as manslaughter is a lesser offence, whilst a murder charge carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment.

Different types of manslaughter

There are two types of manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter is when you have intentionally killed your victim, as in murder, but our criminal solicitor will show that there were extenuating circumstances. The circumstances are diminished responsibility or provocation, also known as loss of self-control. If our experienced solicitor can show evidence of diminished responsibility or loss of self-control then this can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. Diminished responsibility includes an abnormality of mental function or a recognised medical condition. It does not include a state of intoxication. Loss of self-control in law is considered in the event of a certain act or insult that is so powerful, it can deprive any human being, (of your age and sex, with a normal degree of tolerance and self-restraint), of self-control. The killing must have been carried out immediately to show that it occurred in the heat of passion, if there has been a lapse of time then this will show that you planned and intended to kill your victim and could be classed as murder. Qualifying triggers for loss of self-control can include the fear of serious violence when you believe correctly or incorrectly that violence is to be used against you or someone very close to you, for example your children.

Involuntary manslaughter

Involuntary manslaughter is when you have killed your victim without the intention to kill them or cause serious harm. Involuntary manslaughter can occur as a result of recklessness or gross negligence. In this case our criminal solicitor will argue that you did not cause the death deliberately or voluntarily. Speak to us today to understand more about the different types of manslaughter and how we can put together a strong defence to help you achieve the best possible outcome for your situation.