AN ACT TO REPEAL THE PENAL CODE AND MAKE COMPREHENSIVE PROVISION IN RELATION TO THE ELEMENTS OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY AND TO PRESCRIBE A RANGE OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES
","act_last_updated":"08 August 2026","section_html":"
[CR 42] Self defence
(1) A person is not criminally responsible for an offence if he or she carries out the conduct constituting the offence in self defence.
(2) A person carries out conduct in self defence if and only if he or she believes the conduct is necessary\u2014
(a)to defend himself or herself or another person; or
(b)to prevent or terminate the unlawful imprisonment of himself or herself or another person; or
(c)to protect property from unlawful appropriation, destruction, damage or interference; or
(d)to prevent criminal trespass to any land or premises; or
(e)to remove from any land or premises a person who is committing criminal trespass,
and the conduct is a reasonable response in the circumstances as he or she perceives them.
(3) This section does not apply if the person uses force that involves the intentional infliction of death or grievous harm\u2014
(a)to protect property; or
(b)to prevent criminal trespass; or
(c)to remove a person who is committing criminal trespass.
(4) This section does not apply if\u2014
(a)the person is responding to lawful conduct; and
(b)he or she knew that the conduct was lawful.
(5) For the purposes of subsection (4) conduct is not lawful merely because the person carrying it out is not criminally responsible for it.