1854 case

The 1854 case you’re referring to is likely *R v Dudley and Stephens*, a famous legal case involving cannibalism at sea. Two sailors, Dudley and Stephens, were stranded after their ship sank, and faced starvation. They killed and ate a cabin boy to survive. The court sentenced them to death, but the sentence was later commuted. The case raised important legal questions about necessity and whether it can justify acts like murder. Ultimately, the case established that necessity does not justify murder, affirming that moral dilemmas don’t always allow for lawful exceptions.