A helper is someone who assists or encourages another person. In criminal law, an accomplice aids or encourages someone to commit a crime and can face the same penalty as the offender. A facilitator’s role varies and can include funding a criminal enterprise, assisting in escape, or providing false alibis. Aiding and abetting can occur before, during, or after the crime and can result in charges such as aiding and abetting a criminal. The level of involvement determines whether one is an accomplice or conspirator. Conviction for aiding and abetting can result in fines, community service, and/or jail time.
Strictly speaking, a helper is anyone who helps or encourages another person to do something. In criminal law, where the word is most commonly used, it is someone who aids or encourages another to commit a crime, usually by providing information, money, concealment, or some other element critical to the commission of the act. Aiding and abetting is a criminal offence, punishable by law. In some jurisdictions, the person assisting the offender may face the same penalty as the offender.
The role of a facilitator varies. Funding a criminal enterprise, assisting a criminal to escape capture, and operating a getaway car may all be considered complicity, depending on the jurisdiction and the specific circumstances of the crime. Other examples of aiding and abetting may include instigating or inciting a crime, providing a false alibi, and providing the weapon used to commit a criminal act.
Aiding and abetting can occur before, during, or after the actual crime. It is not necessary for the accomplice to be physically present at the crime scene and, in fact, usually is not. This person may have specific knowledge of the crime, or may simply know that a crime will or has been committed. As long as the person’s actions contribute to the commission of the crime, the person can be charged.
A facilitator may be called by another name, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of the offence. Accomplice, instigator, and co-conspirator are other commonly used terms to describe someone who assists a criminal. In many cases, the difference between these terms is the carer’s level of involvement in the crime. For example, a person who provides a bank robbery with a bank layout, security codes, and vault matching, but does not actually participate in the physical robbery, may be an accomplice or conspirator; while a person who has no prior knowledge of the crime, but allows the robber to hide later in her house so that the police cannot find him, may be an accomplice.
Common charges related to aiding and abetting include aiding and abetting, aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime, aiding and abetting a criminal, and criminal aiding and abetting. A prosecutor might seek conviction on a charge of aiding and abetting the landlord if they believe they do not have enough evidence to convict someone as an accomplice or conspirator, or if there are extenuating circumstances. A conviction for aiding and abetting can be punished with fines, community service, and/or jail time.
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