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Criminal Law keyed to Dripps
Thabo Meli and Others v. Reginam
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- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
- Topic: Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.
- Parties: Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.
- Procedural Posture & History: Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.
- Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.: A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.
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- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
- Brief Facts: A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.
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- Facts: What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case. Review the Facts of this case here:
Thabo Meli and three others (Defendants) invited a man to a hut with the intent to kill him. While the man was at the hut, one of the Defendants hit the man on the head with a piece of iron. The man fell over unconscious, but was not killed by the blow. However, Defendants believed that the man had died. Defendants rolled the man down a hill, made the scene look like it had been an accident, and left. Defendants were indicted for murder. At trial, evidence of the post-mortem examination conducted on the man revealed that the blow to the head had not killed him and that death resulted from being left unconscious in the elements at the foot of the hill. Defendants were convicted and they appealed.
- Issue(s): Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.
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- Reasoning and Analysis: Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
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- Policy: Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.
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