Reference no: EM133285273

Question - Heidi has just been made redundant and is desperate for money. She goes to her local supermarket to buy some food. Once she is in the supermarket, she realizes she does not have the money to pay for the food and so she deliberately bumps into an elderly customer, Elizabeth, as she is shopping. Elizabeth is knocked to the ground by the collision and, as she pretends to be helpful by assisting Elizabeth to her feet, Heidi reaches into the pocket of Elizabeth's coat and takes out her purse. Heidi then quickly leaves the supermarket. Elizabeth is taken to hospital and is seen by a nurse who assesses her and decides she has only suffered some minor bruising to her side from the fall. She is then sent home.

As she makes her way home, Heidi sees a mobile phone on the floor. She notices that it is an iPhone but one that is a few years old. She thinks to herself, "finders, keepers" and puts it in her handbag.

Heidi is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, Evan. The next day, she follows Evan to his house, where he lives with his new girlfriend, Josie. Finding the front door open, Heidi enters the property. She hears Josie and Evan talking upstairs and walks up to confront them. When she meets them at the top of the stairs, she pulls out the knife which she had brought with her, points it at Josie and says, "I'm going to kill you".

Terrified that Heidi will stab her, Josie steps backward and falls down the stairs, hitting her head on the tiled floor in the hall. She is knocked unconscious. Horrified, Evan rushes to put Josie in his car and drives her to the local hospital.

By the time they reach the hospital, Josie has regained consciousness but is vomiting and complaining of a severe headache. Unfortunately, she has to wait for hours to be seen by a doctor as there has been a serious road traffic collision with lots of casualties. Once she has been examined by a doctor, she is sent immediately for a scan which reveals bleeding on her brain. Despite the hospital staff's best efforts, Josie dies a few hours later from her injuries. The hospital admits that the delay in treating Josie could have contributed to her death.

Heidi is arrested and tells the police that she suffers from a psychiatric condition which causes her to behave in an obsessive manner and impacts on her ability to form a rational judgment/act rationally. Heidi admits to police that she wanted to kill Josie.

Can you advice on the criminal liability of Heidi.