15. Facts bearing on question whether act was accidental or intentional

When there is a question whether an act was accidental or intentional or done with a particular knowledge or intention, the fact that such act formed part of a series of similar occurrences, in each of which the person doing the act was concerned, is relevant.Illustrations (a) A is accused of burning down A’s house in order to obtain money for which it is insured. The facts that A lived in several houses successively, each of which A insured, in each of which a fire occurred, and after each of which fires A received payment from a different insurance office, are relevant as tending to show that the fire was not accidental. (b) A is employed to receive money from the debtors of B. It is A’s duty to make entries in a book showing the amounts received by A. A makes an entry showing that on a particular occasion A received less than A really did receive. The question is whether this false entry was accidental or intentional. The facts that other entries made by A in the same book are false, and that the false entry is in each case in favour of A, are relevant. (c) A is accused of fraudulently delivering to B a counterfeit dollar. The question is whether the delivery of the dollar was accidental. The facts that soon before or soon after the delivery to B, A delivered counterfeit dollars to C, D and E are relevant as showing that the delivery to B was not accidental.