A person is said to cause an effect “voluntarily” when he causes it by means whereby he intended to cause it, or by means which, at the time of employing those means, he knew or had reason to believe to be likely to cause it.
Section history
Section 39 — “Voluntarily”
As in force on 12 November 1993.
Timeline 4 versions
- 30 March 1987 Enacted
- 12 November 1993 You are here
- 30 November 2008 Revised edition
- 10 February 2020 Act 15 of 2019, Act 2 of 2020
- 17 August 2026 Latest
Illustrations
A sets fire, by night, to an inhabited house in a large town, for the purpose of facilitating a robbery, and thus causes the death of a person. Here A may not have intended to cause death, and may even be sorry that death has been caused by this act; yet, if he knew that he was likely to cause death, he has caused death voluntarily.