Explain the meaning of the term 'mens rea'. Mens rea is the mental element of an offence and each offence has its own level of mental element or state of mind. Mens Rea And Actus Reus Of A Crime Law Essay. Two elements comprise nearly all crimes, a guilty mind (mens rea) and a guilty act (actus reus). An act does not make a. Free mens rea papers, essays, and research papers. Free actus reus papers, essays, and research papers. criminal law Lecture Notes. The lecture notes below are supplied by Law Teacher to help you with your studies. criminal law. The criminal law essay below has been submitted to us by a student in order to help you with your studies. Actus reus is the Latin term used to describe a criminal act. Every crime must be considered in two parts-the physical act of the crime (actus reus) and the mental. Murder Conviction Proving Actus Reus And Mens Rea Law Essay. A potential criminal liability for Mick in relation to Bob may be that of attempted murder. Extracts from this document. Introduction. Actus Reus and Mens Rea To be convicted of any crime under English law, two elements need to be proved, the actus reus. A person can not usually be found guilty of a criminal offence unless two elements are present: actus reus and mens rea. Both these terms have a very specific.