Cases - Reeves v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Record details
- Name
- Reeves v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
- Date
- [2001]
- Citation
- 1 AC 360, HL
- Legislation
- Keywords
- Negligence in valuations and surveys - Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945
- Summary
-
The House of Lords, in a case concerning a suicide attempt by a person in police custody who was known to have such tendencies, held that the claimant (who alleged that the police had in effect negligently failed to protect him from himself) was guilty of contributory negligence. In so deciding, the court interpreted 'fault' under the 1945 Act in such a way that it could include intentional as well as careless conduct. If widely interpreted, this ruling could somewhat undermine the decision in Alliance & Leicester Building Society v Edgestop.