FromLate Latināctus reus(“guilty act”), fromLatināctus(“act”) +reus(“guilty”); after Late Latin and Englishmens rea.
- (UK)IPA(key): /ˌaktəsˈɹeɪəs/,/ˌaktəsˈɹiːəs/
actusreus (pluralactus rei)
- (law) An act, or series of acts, considered as separate from the intentions or state of mind of theperpetrator in the context ofcriminal law.[from 20th c.]
2011,Steven Pinker,The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, page610:A brute emotional reflex to theactus reus, the bad act (‘She killed her husband! Shame!’), could trigger an urge for retribution regardless of her intention.
2016, Nicola Monaghan,Criminal Law, 4th edition,Oxford University Press,page23:Every criminal offence must containactus reus elements. A defendant will not be liable for a criminal offence unless theactus reus of the offence is proved: Deller (1952)36 Cr app r 184. Although the vast majority of criminal offences consist of bothactus reus elements andmens rea elements, some criminal offences do not require amens rea element for every element of theactus reus.
Often, perhaps usually, italicised.
Learned borrowing fromLate Latināctus reus(“guilty act”), fromLatināctus(“act”) +reus(“guilty”).
actusreus (uncountable)
- (law)criminalact
