The partial defence of provocation is associated with which case?

• A. R Smith 1980
• B. R Johnson 1990
• C. R Camplin 1978
• D. R Williamson 1972

Answer: (C)

Provocation as a partial defence to murder relies on what a reasonable person would have done in the defendant’s circumstances, but with an important twist: the assessment takes the defendant’s age and sex into account. In R v Camplin, a 15-year-old boy killed his abuser, and the court held that the jury should judge reasonableness by the standards of a person of the defendant’s age and characteristics, not by those of a typical adult man. This case established that the reasonable person for the provocation test can be age-adjusted, which can make a big difference to whether the loss of self-control was considered reasonable. That’s why Camplin is the classic authority linked to the provocation defence.