IM v LM and others [2014] EWCA Civ 37, [2014] All ER (D) 150 (Jan)
Every single issue of capacity which fell to be determined under Pt 1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 had to be evaluated by applying s 3(1) of the Act in full and considering each of the four elements of the decision-making process that were set out. The extent to which, on the facts of any individual case, there was a need either for a sophisticated or for a more straightforward evaluation of any of those elements would naturally vary from case to case and from topic to topic. The approach taken in the line of first instance decisions regarding the test for capacity to consent to sexual relationships as being general and issue-specific, rather than person or event-specific represented the correct approach within the terms of the Act. However, that approach was not, in truth, at odds with the appellate court’s observations, which had been made in a different legal context. The requirement for a practical limit on what needed to
