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Glossary
of Legal Terms
There
are many types of crime which can be tried in the criminal
courts. Every journalist should become familiar with the terms
used for them. The two parts found in most crimes are the act
itself and whether the accused person carried it out with a
guilty mind. These are referred to in Latin as actus
reus and mens rea.
No
guilty intent is necessary for some crimes. These are called absolute
offences and are subject to strict
liability.
Contempt
of court is the crime which journalists have to be most aware of.
In common law, it falls under strict liability, meaning
the prosecution does not have to prove they intended to impede
the course of justice.
However, the Contempt of Court Act 1981 limited the
circumstances for which journalists could be found guilty if
no intent was found.
Below
is a list of crimes to be aware of:
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