If you fail to stop someone from committing a crime, can you be guilty of being an accomplice to that crime?

eriverpipe

In UK law, having knowledge of the intention to commit an offence and failing to report it is a crime, but it separate from the crime committed - it is not complicity in the crime itself. I believe the most recent case law involves a relative (wife??) of one of the London terrorist bombers who was jailed for failing to disclose information about a planned crime.

mikeysco

Not under any law in the US I'm aware of.

If you're not asking about US law, you should probably say so.

K H D

If you tried to stop the crime, but were just not successful in stopping it i do believe you wouldn't be considered an accomplice.

If you knew about a crime and were able to do something that wouldn't harm yourself (e.g. armed robbery and not taking down the robber (because he has a gun!)) i don't think u would be an accomplice.

I guess if you are to have gained or believed it to be advantageous, or helped in the planning but not the crime itself and this could be proved then you would be considered an accomplice.

I think.

guyrab

If you flashed your lights at an oncoming driver to tell him to slow down you could be prosecuted and the defence that you were trying to prevent him from breaking the law, wouldn't do you much good!

Stig Bubblecard

Yes, if you knew that a crime was about to be committed and did nothing about it, you are as guilty as the perpetrator . Remember the 7/7 Terror attacks? One of their relatives was convicted of knowing about the offence but failing to report it to the authorities.

lone butcher Spartan remembers

If you TRIED to stop the crime and failed there's nothing wrong.
If you KNEW about the crime before it took place and did nothing ten something is wrong.
If you knew about the crime before it took place and failed to stop it (which includes contacting police) then there's something wrong.
Trying to stop something isn't exactly aiding, abetting, or procuring. It's in fact the opposite.
It's a tough call on trying to stop it, since if you tried to stop it then you must have known about it before it took place(unless you were witnessing it take place). If you knew about it beforehand and then tried to stop it yourself and failed, then you might get in trouble because you didn't contact someone who was capable of stopping it. And it wasn't your responsibility.

prince_henry

it depends
if you knew some-one was going to plant a bomb and you did nothing and people where killed yes you could be seen as in being part of it. but if someone was walking up the street hitting people and you did nothing then no

taz c

I doubt it - if you had witnesses to testify that you were trying to prevent the crime, rather than actually being party to it, then I should think you would be OK.

Nom Nom

Yes. Actually, I think that's called "an accessory to the crime."

Sorry - I guess I misunderstood the question. I interpreted it to mean you were asking if someone KNEW another person was going to commit the crime, and then did nothing to stop it. You know - like report it?

Monkey

I have a friend that i just met, not really close friend. Everynight he goes out to find Rims to sell, so far this week he had collected three rims. what should I do?

Monkey

I have a friend that i just met, not really close friend. Everynight he goes out to find Rims to sell, so far this week he had collected three rims. what should I do?

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