CRIMES AND CRIMINALS
Vocabulary Crimes and criminals
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CRIMES AND CRIMINALS CRIME
VERB
CRIMINAL
fare-dodging: the offense of avoiding paying for the bus, train, etc fare
fare-dodge
fare-dodger
littering: the action of leaving waste paper, cans etc on the ground in a public place.
litter
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speeding: the offence of driving faster than the legal limit.
speed
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vandalism: the crime of intentionally damaging property belonging to other people.
vandalise
vandal
drink-driving/ drunk-driving: driving a car after having drunk too much alcohol.
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drink-driver
blackmail: When you obtain money from people or force them to do blackmail something by threatening to make known a secret of theirs or to harm them.
blackmailer
libel: when someone writes or prints untrue statements about someone so that other people could have a bad opinion of them.
libel
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slander: a false spoken statement about someone, intended to damage the good opinion that people have of that person: He is being sued for slander.
slander
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trespassing: the offence of entering someone’s private property illegally.
trespass
trespasser
forgery: the crime of copying official documents, money, paintings etc to make people think they are real.
forge
forger
con: a trick to get someone's money or make them do something:
con
conman
arson: the crime of deliberately making something burn, especially a building: The school was destroyed in an arson attack.
arson
arsonist
computer hacking: to secretly find a way of getting information from someone else's computer or changing information on it.
hack
hacker
theft: the crime of stealing.
steal
thief
robbery: the crime of stealing money or things from a BANK, SHOP, PERSON, etc.
rob
robber/thief
burglary: the crime of illegally entering a building and stealing things.
burgle
burglar
shoplifting: the crime of stealing things from shops, for example by hiding them in a bag or under your clothes.
shoplift
shoplifter
joyriding: the crime of stealing a car and driving it in a fast and dangerous way for fun.
joyride
joyrider
embezzlement: the crime of stealing money from the place where you work.
embezzle
embezzler
mugging: the crime of attacking a person in a public place and stealing their money.
mug
mugger
assault: the crime of physically attacking someone.
assault on sb
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smuggling: the crime of taking things or people to or from a place secretly and often illegally.
smuggle
smuggler
hijacking: the crime of taking control of an aircraft or other vehicle during a journey, especially using violence
hijack
hijacker
kidnapping: the crime of taking a person away illegally by force, usually in order to demand money in exchange for releasing them
kidnap
kidnapper
drug-trafficking: the buying and selling of drugs.
traffic in drugs
drug trafficker
a con to make people pay for goods they hadn't actually received.
drug dealer: someone who sells drugs rape: the crime of forcing someone to have sex, especially by using violence.
rape
rapist
manslaughter: the crime of killing someone illegally but not deliberately.
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murder: the crime of intentionally killing a person
murder
murderer Crimes and criminals
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(B) POLICE -report a crime to the police
-attend the scene of a crime
-patrol the streets
-chase a suspect
-carry out ‘stop and search’ checks
-catch a criminal
-use a speed gun
-arrest a criminal / suspect
-carry out crowd control duties
-be arrested
-liaise with (somebody): to exchange information with
-to be out in jail / prison
someone who works in another organization or department so that you can both be more effective: Council officers are liaising closely with local groups.
-interview witnesses / suspects
-seal off the area -clamp down (on): to take firm action to stop a particular type of crime: The police are clamping down on drink- driving offenders.
-question the suspect -charge the suspect with a crime: He was charged with murder. -collect evidence -search buildings
(C) COURT AND TRIAL -sue: to make a legal claim against someone, especially for money, because they have harmed you in some way: If the builders don't fulfil their side of the contract, we'll sue. The company is suing a former employee. -take legal actions against -hold the person in custody: when someone is kept in prison until they go to court, because the police think they have committed a crime -law court / court of law: place where a trial is held, or the people there, especially the judge and the jury who examine the evidence and decide whether someone is guilty or not guilty. -go to trial: a legal process in which a judge and often a jury in a court of law examine information to decide whether someone is guilty of a crime. -jury: a group of 12 ordinary people who listen to the details of a case in court and decide whether someone is guilty or not: the members of the jury -judge -defence lawyer: the lawyer who tries to prove in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a crime. -prosecution lawyer: the lawyer in a trial who try to prove that a person accused of committing a crime is guilty of that crime. -eyewitness: someone who has seen something such as a crime happen, and is able to describe it afterwards. -offender: someone who is guilty of a crime. -serious offender -first-time offender -conviction: a decision in a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime, or the process of proving that someone is guilty. -previous conviction -to plead guilty: to state in a court of law you are guilty of a crime. -to plead not guilty: to state in a court of law you are not guilty of a crime. -to reach a verdict -to be sentenced (to prison) (See Punishments below) -to be on probation: a system that allows some criminals not to go to prison or to leave prison, if they behave well and see a probation officer regularly, for a particular period of time. -to get time off for good behaviour -to be released: to let someone go free: Police arrested several men, who were later released. -release the suspect on bail: release someone after he has paid money to make sure that he will return when their trial starts.
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(D) PUNISHMENTS -pay a fine
-be sentenced to life imprisonment
-do community service: do work that is not paid and that
-be sentenced to death
someone does to help other people, sometimes as
-capital punishment = death penalty
punishment for a crime.
-be acquitted: when it is decided that the defendant is not guilty of the crime he/she has been charged with.
-be sent / sentenced to prison -be sentenced to (ten years) in prison
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