Justice for Michael Flashcards
(4 cards)
1
Q
Who is michael
A
Michael died after being in a coma for 22 months. Clark could only be
charged with GBH and was jailed for 2 years. He was free before
Michael died
2
Q
Old law
A
● At the time, the ‘year and a day’ rule existed. It was a law dating back
to 1278. The rule said that if victims of an assault lived for a year and a
day, their attackers could not be tried for manslaughter or
murderMichael’s mother sought out to change the law
3
Q
How the newspaper helped
A
● In her support, the Northern Echo newspaper launched a ‘Justice for
Michael’ campaign, urging its readers to sign a petition demanding that
the year and a day rule be scrapped
4
Q
New law
A
● However, following the Northern Echo’s petition, a bill was passed by Parliament to become the 1996 Law Reform Act
