A comprehensive SQE overview of the fundamental elements of criminal liability in English law, focusing on the concepts of actus reus (the guilty act) and mens rea (the guilty mind). The first source details actus reus, explaining how it can be proven through conduct, results, or the mere existence of a situation, alongside exceptions where an omission (failure to act) can create liability under certain duties. The second source examines mens rea, differentiating between intention, recklessness, and negligence, and introduces doctrines like transferred malice and the contemporaneity principle. Finally, the third source discusses general defences, concentrating on the rules governing intoxication, which can negate mens rea for specific intent crimes, and the principles of self-defence and defence of another, including the special allowances made for householder cases.