Actus reus , sometimes called the
external element or the objective element of a crime, is the
Latin term for the "guilty act" which, when proved
beyond a reasonable doubt in combination with the
mens rea, "guilty mind", produces criminal
liability in the
common law-based
criminal law jurisdictions of
Canada,
Australia,
India,
Pakistan,
South Africa,
New Zealand,
England and
Wales,
Colombia,
Ghana,
Ireland,
Israel and the
United States of America. In the United States of America, some crimes also require proof of an
attendant circumstance.