Accessory Before The Fact (Noun)
Meaning
A person who procures or advises or commands the commission of a felony but who is not present at its perpetration.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The lawyer argued that his client was not the one who committed the crime, but rather an accessory before the fact, who had unknowingly provided the getaway car.
- She was charged as an accessory before the fact in the armed robbery, as she had provided the stolen guns used in the heist.
- The prosecution struggled to prove that the defendant was more than just an accessory before the fact, and that he had actually participated in the murder.
- The court found that the informant was an accessory before the fact in the smuggling operation, as he had provided the crucial information that led to the crime.
- As an accessory before the fact, he faced a reduced sentence compared to the actual perpetrators of the crime, but still received a lengthy prison term.