ABSTRACT
Many crimes are committed by defendants working alone. But a great number are committed with the help or assistance of possibly just one, or possibly a large number, of other people. These people could be locksmiths, getaway drivers, lookouts … the range of situations where other people – known as ‘accomplices’ or ‘accessories’ or, sometimes, ‘secondary offenders’ (the terms are more or less interchangeable) – may participate in a criminal offence is infinitely variable. A slightly different situation occurs where two or more defendants work as a team; this is known as a ‘joint enterprise’, although many of the legal principles are the same in both situations. How has the law responded to the difficulties posed by the many and varied roles played by accomplices?
