Law Weblog

Public Nuisance – probably not a crime of strict liability in all cases

R v Rimmington and R v Goldstein [2005] HL
In Goldstein the defendant put salt (as a joke to his friend) into an envelope, salt leaked and the sorting office was evacuated as it was feared it might be anthrax poison.

Mr Goldstein did not foresee the leakage (nor desire it; there would have been no joke) and so had no mens rea and was not guilty.