Also, in England, a driver of a fire engine has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving when he jumped traffic lights at 30 mph and flattened a car that had the green light. The (argued) defence of necessity did not entitle him to leave a trail of destruction on the way to the fire, said the judge.

In a very old case two seamen cast adrift in a boat would have starved to death if they had not killed and eaten the cabin-boy. Held: murder.