Crime CXXXIV– Intoxication X
Intoxication is not available as a defense when the defendant makes a mistake in instances of self-intoxication. Prior to reaching a verdict the jury will take into account all the evidence that is made available to them as per Section 8 of the Criminal Justice Act (1967). In R v O’Grady (1987) the appellant and the victim were friends and they had spent the day, in the company of another friend, drinking. Between them they had consumed eight flagons of cider after which they retired to the appellant’s home. According to the appellant he was woken up by the victim and the appellant in self-defense picked up some broken glass and started hitting the victim over the head. Once the fight had subsisted, they patched things up and he cooked both his friends a meal and the three of them then went to bed. The defendant and the other friend woke up the next morning to find the victim dead in bed, he had died as a result of blood loss and further investigation revealed that the v