Law Weblog

Not Gross Negligence Manslaughter

R v Wood & Hodgson (2003)Crown Court
DD the householders where a ten-year-old girl used to go round to play with their baby and to watch videos. On one visit she found ecstasy tablets in a cigarette packet and ate some of them (?5). She was obviously ill but DD did not call an ambulance for about 1½ hours. V died.
Held: DD were acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter in allowing V to get hold of the tablets, the jury obviously thought that DD had taken care to hide them from her, and so were not grossly negligent.