ABSTRACT
R v Registrar General ex p Smith (1991) S had been adopted when he was nine weeks old. As an adolescent he became mentally disturbed and evinced severe hatred for his adoptive parents. He was convicted on a charge of murder and while serving his sentence killed another prisoner, under the delusion that he was killing his adoptive mother. Following his transfer to Broadmoor he applied under s 51 for a copy of his birth certificate. His application was refused by the Registrar General on grounds of public policy. He made an application for judicial review.
