Where the precise mechanism of death is obscure and multiple possible causes exist (including pre-existing conditions of the deceased), the question for causation is whether, applying common sense, the accused's actions provided a substantial contribution toward death. It is a misapplication of principle to search for a principal cause of death. The thin skull rule applies even where the deceased has multiple constitutional defects (cardiac disease, alcoholism, high BAC) that independently threaten death. For admissions under s 85(2) of the Evidence Act 1995, if evidence suggests the truth of an admission may have been adversely affected (e.g., by intoxication), the Crown must prove on the balance of probabilities that it was unlikely this was the case.
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