Abstract:Whether criminal law is justified in imposing criminal liability upon an actor who has caused no such harm is the pertinent question that this paper attempts to examine. The essence of the law of attempt derives from the accused person’s intention to carry out the substantive offence. The law of Attempt exists to punish unsuccessful efforts to commit a crime. Criminal law would lose its coercive powers as a means of protecting lives and properties from harm if it could only intervene after the harm has been inflicted. The paper examines the justification of the law of attempts and proffers plausible arguments as to why the law will intervene to stop this inchoate offence.