Basic Criminal Damage

Start with the basic offence

Begin with The Basic Offence flashcards. They introduce the provision on intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging property belonging to another without lawful excuse. Use the cards to identify the parts of the offence, then explain each part in your own words.

The Basic offence of criminal damage mind map sets out those parts visually. It also refers to property being made useless and to damage that need only be slight. Compare the map with the flashcards to see how the parts fit together.

Connect property, recklessness and lawful excuse

The Criminal Damage mind map offers questions about property, including whether it is tangible and whether it belongs to another. It also refers to custody, control and interests in property. Use those prompts to organize your notes on the property element.

Recklessness (Criminal Damage) includes material on belief and a case involving wiring and panels in a rented house. The Without Lawful Excuse flashcards ask about honest belief and relevant cases. Study each resource alongside the basic offence map, noting which part of the offence it addresses.

Practice with cases

Once you have worked through the maps and cards, use Basic Criminal Damage Cases to test your recall. The quiz includes a question on GAYFORD v CHOULER and physical alteration, harm or impairment. Return to the maps after the quiz and check how their descriptions of damage relate to the case material.

This topic page is one section of the Criminal Damage and Arson unit in Criminal law. Its resources give you different ways to study the basic offence within that unit: questions for recall, maps for connections and flashcards for individual points. You can also build your own map or flashcards to organize what you have studied.