Consent in United Kingdom

Definition of Consent

In accordance with the work A Dictionary of Law, this is a description of Consent :

Deliberate or implied affirmation; compliance with a course of proposed actio Consent is essential in a number of circumstances. For example, contracts and marriages are invalid unless both parties give their consent. Consent must be given freely, without duress or deception, and with sufficient legal competence to give it (See also informed consent). In criminal law, issues of consent arise mainly in connection with offences involving violence and *dishonesty. For public-policy reasons, a victim’s consent to conduct which foreseeably causes him bodily harm is no defence to a charge involving an *assault, *wounding, or *homicide; in other cases the defendant should be acquitted if the magistrates or jury have a reasonable doubt not only as to whether the victim had consented but also as to whether he thought the victim had consented.

See also age of consent; battery; conveyance; rape.