Intention to do sth

Yesterday, Sr. Professor while teaching in class, gave some useful learnings, which I wish to write here. Somewhere, the discussion upon the “intent to do something” cropped up. He explained the above with the following short story:

The intent to do something by the convict is central to any award of punishment in the judiciary.  He told, this is not a modern development, and has been around since the olden times. A similar situation had come to Gautam Buddha. He had two cases came up in front of him:

1) A dacoit with the intention to murder and loot a person on his way, strangled him, and thinking he was dead, left him unconscious there. Somehow, the victim survived, and demanded justice.

2) A Doctor while treating a patient of the ulcer in stomach, as soon as he placed the knife on the stomach, the patient died.

Whom to hang?

The intent of the doctor was not to murder, in fact his intent was the noble cause of making the patient healthier. But, the patient died. On the other hand, the intent of the dacoit was to murder, however, the victim survived.