Crimes and criminals

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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