Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against the person - Homicide

164: Acceleration of death

You could also call this:

“You can be responsible for someone's death if you speed up their dying, even if they were already sick.”

If you do something or fail to do something that causes someone to die sooner than they would have due to an illness or condition they already had, it is still considered killing that person. Even if the person was already sick or had a disease, and your actions only made them die faster, you are responsible for their death. This applies to any action you take or any action you should have taken but didn’t.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM329307.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Criminal law

163: Killing by influence on the mind, or

“Scaring a child or sick person so badly that they die can be against the law.”

165: Causing death that might have been prevented, or

“You can be responsible for someone's death even if it could have been stopped by using the right methods.”

Part 8 Crimes against the person
Homicide

164Acceleration of death

Every one who by any act or omission causes the death of another person kills that person, although the effect of the bodily injury caused to that person was merely to hasten his or her death while labouring under some disorder or disease arising from some other cause.

Compare

1908 No 32 s 179