the right of a person accused of a crime to be presumed not guilty unless proven otherwise
burden of proof
standard of proof
legal representation
age of criminal responsibility
under 14 unlikely to understand impact of actions
allow children to receive the support they need without coming into contact with the criminal justice system
accessory
any person who knows or believes that a person is guilty of a serious indictable offence and acts to prevent the arrest, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of that person
principal offender
the individual who commits the offence and/or is directly involved in the commission of the offence
standard of proof in a criminal trial
the standard of proof is the weight or strength of evidence that must be brought. in criminal matters, it is beyond reasonable doubt.
depending on the court, a magistrate, judge, or jury will determine whether or not the standard of proof has been met
summary offence
minor criminal offences that are usually heard by a magistrate in the magistrates'court
driving offences, shoplifting
indictable offences heard summarily
a subset of indictable offences that can be heard in the magistrates' court in a similar manner to a summary offence
theft, assault
strict liability
do not require the prosecution to prove any mens rea, the accused will be guilty by committing the actus reus alone
