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One of the most famous maxims coined in English Common Law is that of Sir Edward Coke's Latin phrase, "actus non facit reus nisi mens sit rea"1, which in English, means 'an act does not make a man guilty of a crime unless he acts with a guilty mind'. This idea of requiring guilty intention to prove the criminal nature of his act has been one of the basic elemental principles of criminal law. However, despite the immense importance it has on the English legal system, the introduction of a new category of offences termed as 'strict liability' has gradually diminished the impact of this principle on the law today. The element of mens rea is merely the Latin term for a 'guilty mind' and refers to the mental element of a crime, encompassing both the intention to execute the crime, and the knowledge of the circumstances that deem...

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