Section 190Part 6 — Offences Against the Person
Abolition of the year and a day rule
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190. The rule known as the “year and a day rule”, that is, the rule that for the purposes of offences involving death and of suicide, an act or omission is conclusively presumed not to have caused a person’s death if more than a year and a day elapsed before the person died, is abolished for all purposes. 190A. Restriction on institution of proceedings for a fatal offence 190A.(1) Proceedings against a person for a fatal offence may be instituted if —
the injury alleged to have caused the death was sustained not more than three years before the death occurred; or
the person has previously been convicted of an offence committed in circumstances alleged to be connected with the death.
In subsection (1), “fatal offence” means —
murder, manslaughter, infanticide or any offence of which one of the elements is causing a person’s death; or
the offence of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a person’s suicide or acting in pursuance of a suicide pact between one person and another to kill the other or to be a party to the other killing themselves or being killed by a third party. Section 191 Penal Code (2026 Revision) Page 82 Revised as at 31st December, 2025 c
Defined Terms
year and a day rule