ABSTRACT
Generally speaking, English law punishes only those who caused a prohibited result by a positive act. There is no general duty to act in order to do good deeds. There may well be a moral obligation on someone to be a ‘Good Samaritan’, but there is not a legal one. Consider this scenario. A stabs B with a knife, causing serious injuries. If C is standing beside B, he is under no duty to do anything – either to try to stop A, or even to assist B – so, legally, he can simply walk away.
