DOCTRINE OF PARASITIC ACCESSORY LIABILITY

In the case of R. VS. GNANGO Appeal No. (2011) UKSC.59, the Supreme Court aptly postulated on the fundamental doctrine of Parasitic Accessory Liability (which is akin to the principle of Criminal Conspiracy): The ingredients for parasitic accessory liability are that two parties participate in the commission of crime A and B in the course of committing it, D1 commits crime B which D2 foresees that he might commit… There is no reason in general why the parasitic accessory liability principle cannot be applied where crime A is affray and Crime B is murder. All that is required is proof of (i) a common purpose to commit an affray which is shared by D1 and D2 in the sense that they agreed to commit the offence, and (ii) a murder committed by D1 in the course of the affray commission of which is foreseen as a possibility … All the members of the group who foresee ….. that he might use the knife to commit a murder would also be liable for murder. The fact that they were also guilty of an affray would be no bar to their liability for murder.