"This sixth edition has been thoroughly updated. In the five years that have passed since the fifth edition was published in 2007 there have been no major legislative attempts to make our substantive law more principled and simpler. Parliament has been engaged in adding new offences and in a worrying trend to add minimum prison sentences.

General matters of substantive principle have been left to the courts. Major decisions additions addressed in this edition include: Supreme Court decisions in Beatty (dangerous driving and the marked departure test for crimes of objective fault), Morelli. (possessing child pornography on computer); Briscoe (definition of wilful blindness as deliberate ignorance and liability as aider); J.A. (a 5-4 majority controversially holding that person cannot validly consent to sexual activity in advance); and Tran (estranged wife having sexual conduct with another not allowing for partial provocation defence to murder).