Define: Assistance After The Offence

Assistance after the offence refers to the provision of aid, support, or assistance to an individual who has committed a crime or offence, either before or after the crime has been committed. This assistance can take various forms, such as harbouring a fugitive, providing resources or transportation for criminal activities, or helping to conceal evidence of the crime. In legal contexts, providing assistance after the offence is often considered an offence in itself and may result in criminal charges for aiding and abetting, obstructing justice, or being an accessory to the crime. Punishments for providing assistance after the offence can vary depending on the jurisdiction and the severity of the offence, and may include fines, imprisonment, or other penalties.

Under s.4 of it is an offence knowingly to carry out any act with the intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person known guilty of an arrestable offence.

Although it is, in general, an offence to attempt to commit an offence, it is not an offence to attempt to commit out an offence under this section: the act must actually happen.

Although this offence has similarities with being an Accomplice to an offence, it is legally distinct, and a person can be guilty of both aiding and abetting and seeking to prevent arrest.

As for an accomplice, a person charged with impeding apprehension can be found guilty even if the person who committed the offence is acquitted. However, the statute does state that assistance must be rendered to the person who committed the offence, not to a person who is believed to have committed the offence. This means that in the trial of the assistant, the principal must be shown to be guilty, even if he has himself been acquited. As for an accomplice, the conviction of the principal is evidence against the assistant, but the acquittal of the principal is not even admissible as evidence. If X believes that Y raped Z — when he did not, lacking the Mens Rea — and helps Y to evade prosecution, he is not guilty of an offence unless Y can be proven to be guilty in the trial of X. However, if X assists Y to commit an act that X believes to be rape, but is not, then he can still be convicted of being an accomplice to rape.

There are separate offences relating to accepting money for discouraging a prosecution; they have no specific names in current legislation, so are indexed under their archaic names Compounding and misprision.

This site contains general legal information but does not constitute professional legal advice for your particular situation. Persuing this glossary does not create an attorney-client or legal adviser relationship. If you have specific questions, please consult a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

This glossary post was last updated: 29th March, 2024.