Trespass Case Study

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In order to discuss the potential tortious liability of Buffy, it is necessary to consider whether there are trespasses to land on the facts. Trespass is defined in Clerk & Lindsell as:
"[It] consists of any unjustifiable intrusion by one person upon land in the possession of another".

Trespass to land occurs when the defendant enters onto the claimants land without permission; remains upon the land; places objects on the land or places them in contact with the property. Trespass can also occur to the subsoil and airspace. In Entick v Carrington , Lord Camden discussed the policy behind the tort of trespass to land:
“By the laws of England, every invasion of private property, be it ever so minute, is a trespass. No man may set his foot …show more content…

However, these issues will be discussed further below to see if there has been a trespass to land and if Spike can bring an action against Buffy.

Trespass to land consists of interference with possession. Only the person in possession of the land can sue, thus in this case this will be Spike. The purpose behind this tort is to protect claimants against direct and unjustifiable interference with their possession of land.

Trespass is actionable per se which means proof of damages is not necessary to be actionable; such a tort is actionable simply because it happened (Patel v WH Smith (Eziot) Ltd). However, if you are unable to show that you have suffered any loss, the damages you recover are unlikely to be …show more content…

Trespass to land extends to interests in the airspace above the land so that an unauthorised intrusion into the airspace above the land is a trespass. Firstly, it is straightforward this action is an interference. It is evident that she had intention for the interference because she voluntarily raised herself above the height of the hedge and knew what she was doing. It does not matter if she did not intend to trespass, her intention to the conduct is enough. The case of Gilbert v Stone mentioned above supports this. This conduct is direct as she is in Spike's airspace which is above his personal hedge and it is a direct intrusion. In Laiqat v Majid , the defendant's extractor fan protruded onto the claimant's land by 75cm at a height of 4.5cm and this constituted as trespass. Applying this case’s facts and decision to Buffy it is likely there has been a trespass as she was raised at a height above his property and so the facts are

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