Para 16 from Halsburry’s Law of England (Fourth Edition), Volume 11(1), which is as under:-
“16. Proof of intention and foresight. Whenever an offence is defined so as to require proof that a person intended or foresaw a particular result, the Court or jury is not bound in law to infer that such person intended or foresaw that result by reason only of its being a natural and probable consequence of his actions, but must decide whether he did intend or foresee that result by reference to all the evidence, drawing such inferences from the evidence as may be proper in the circumstances. Foresight of the consequences of an act does not necessarily imply the existence of intention but it may be a factor from which, when considered together with all the other evidence, the jury may infer that the accused had the alleged intention. The probability of the result is another factor, and an important one, for the jury to consider when deciding whether the result was intended. When directing juries about the mental element in any crime of specific intent, judges should avoid any elaboration or paraphrase as to what is meant by intent. Some further direction may, however, be necessary if the prosecution invites the jury to infer intent from the foresight of a consequence. As a matter of evidence, the greater the probability of a consequence, the more likely it is that the consequence was foreseen and, if that consequence was foreseen, the more likely it is that that the consequence was also intended.
