[HPforGrownups] HPforGrownups] Harry and the Cruciatus

[Silverthorne]

No: HPFGUIDX 96171

Sherrie here:

No - the M'Naughton Rule has nothing to do with the accused's personal view
of right & wrong.  If you can ask the person, "Do you know that Society
thinks
it's wrong for you to kill someone?", and they say, "Yes, but I don't think
so," they're legally sane.  (Vincent Bugliosi gives an excellent layman's
definition of M'Naughton in HELTER SKELTER.)

Silverhtorne:

Guess I'll have to go borrow the book from my mate agian then. Either missed
it or didn't understand it the first time around--I was always under teh
impression that if the deefendant diudnl;t understand the difference from
right or wrong, that that was what proved them insane...

Sherrie:

"Temporary insanity" is one of the hardest defenses to prove, actually -
unless, of course, you're Dan Sickles & setting the whole bloody precedent.
Otherwise, Sing Sing would'nt have HALF the inmates we do! <g>

Silverthorne:
That I do know--if only because it got so overused that it's usually
disregared as a valid defence anymore without some REALLY good proof.

Then again, this is the WW world...maybe 'I was under Imperio' is their
version of the insanity plea?