Sushila was upset when she was passed over for promotion. She had a sleepless night so took some amphetamines to help her get through the following day. She then visited a local bar and consumed eight glasses of vodka in quick succession. She later regained consciousness at Billericay police station and was told that she had hit the barman over the head with her laptop computer because he wasn't serving her quickly enough and had assaulted the two policeman who had been summoned to take her away. Advise Sushila who has been charged with actual bodily harm, in relation to the defence of intoxication.

Decide how your answer would differ in the following unrelated circumstances:

a) The barman died and Sushila was charged with his murder.

b) A colleague had given Sushila several Valium pills, which had an adverse effect on her. She later discovered that she had set fire to the office before she left.

Help in planning this question can be found amongst the pages 203-217 of 'Criminal Law' by Storey and Lidbury [published 2001 by Willan Publishing]. See also pages 209-216 of 'Criminal Law' by Diana Roe (3rd edition).