R v Betts and Ridley is a landmark case in English criminal law

English criminal law

English criminal law refers to the body of law in the jurisdiction of England and Wales which deals with crimes and their consequences. Criminal acts are considered offences against the whole of a community...

 from 1930, which established that to be convicted of a crime under the doctrine of Common purpose

Common purpose

The doctrine of common purpose, common design or joint enterprise is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions which imputes criminal liability on the participants to a criminal enterprise for all that results from that enterprise...

, it was not necessary for an accessory to actually be present when the offence was carried out.

Facts

Victor Betts and Herbert Ridley agreed to rob a man, William Thomas Andrews, as he was on his way to the bank. Their plan was that Betts would push the individual to the ground and snatch his bag. Meanwhile Ridley would be waiting around the corner in a getaway car. However, Betts struck Andrews with such force that he died as a result of the blow.

Judgment

Both were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to death. An appeal against the murder conviction by Ridley later saw his conviction reduced to one of manslaughter

Manslaughter

Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...

 and the death sentence commuted. Betts was hanged at Birmingham Prison on 3 January 1931 by Thomas Pierrepoint

Thomas Pierrepoint

Thomas William Pierrepoint was one of the United Kingdom's executioners from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry and uncle of Albert....

.

External links

• Details of Victor Betts at Murderfile.net