Caput lupinum

Caput lupinum or caput gerat lupinum is a term used in the English legal system and its derivatives.[1] The term literally means "wolf's head" or "wolfish head" and refers to a person considered to be an outlaw, as in, e.g., the phrase caput gerat lupinum ("may he wear a wolfish head" / "may his be a wolf's head"). Black's Law Dictionary, 8th edition (2004: 225) reads "an outlawed felon considered a pariah – a lone wolf – open to attack by anyone." A person designated a caput lupinum was a criminal whose rights had been waived. As such, he or she could be legally harmed by any citizen.

References

  1. ↑ Southern Portland Cement v Cooper (Rodney John) (An Infant by his next friend Peter Alphonsus Cooper) Privy Council (Australia), 19 November 1973


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 12, 2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.