actus reus

plural actus rei

1. lawThe act or acts constituting a criminal offense, as distinguished from the intentions or state of mind of the perpetrator (mens rea).First known use 20th c.

   It is hornbook criminal law that criminal offenses are defined in terms of an actus reus (criminal act) and a mens rea (criminal mind).

   1989, James B. Jacobs, Drunk Driving: An American Dilemma, University of Chicago Press, page 65

   2 more examples

   A brute emotional reflex to the actus reus, the bad act (‘She killed her husband! Shame!’), could trigger an urge for retribution regardless of her intention.

   2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, page 610

   Every criminal offence must contain actus reus elements. A defendant will not be liable for a criminal offence unless the actus reus of the offence is proved: Deller (1952)36 Cr app r 184. Although the vast majority of criminal offences consist of both actus reus elements and mens rea elements, some criminal offences do not require a mens rea element for every element of the actus reus.

   2016, Nicola Monaghan, Criminal Law, 4th edition, Oxford University Press, page 23