Criminal law – Prevention of crime. The defence under s 3(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 should not be left to the jury in circumstances where the use of force was not directed to the prevention of an imminent or immediate crime. Accordingly, the Divisional Court held that the judge had been wrong to conclude that the interested parties' defence to wilfully obstructing the highway, that they had been using reasonable force to prevent the commission of crimes at an 'arms fair', had been available, but the case would not be remitted for retrial in the circumstances.