Not all crimes are the work of a single person A successful bank robbery for example requires careful planning and co- operation among several people The law divides blames amongst various offenders in a single criminal case

The perpetrator is the person who actually commits the criminal offence Example: A lone person robbing a bank holds the gun, collects the cash, and then escapes When more than one person is directly involved in committing a crime, they are known as co-perpetrators Example :Two people rob a bank with one holding the gun and the other collects the cash

Parties to an offence are people not directly involved in a crime but are considered partly responsible for it These people somehow assisted the perpetrator to actually commit the crime

Aiding Aiding is a criminal offence that involves helping a perpetrator commit a crime The person does not need to be present when the crime is committed Example: Pharmacy clerk Lisa gives her boyfriend Bob the key to the pharmacy so he can use it to break into the pharmacy and steal prescription drugs

Abetting Abetting is the crime of encouraging the perpetrator to commit an offence without actually providing and physical assistance Example: Bill assaults Raj in the school parking lot, Carlos eggs Bill on, urging him to hit Raj repeatedly

Counseling Counseling is a crime that involves advising, recommending, or persuading another person to commit a criminal offence Example: Natasha persuades Melinda to steal goods from the store where she works by advising her the best way to do it

Accessory after the Fact Accessory after the fact is when a person knowingly receives, comforts, or assists a perpetrator escaping from the police Example: Simon knowingly lets Nirmala stay at his apartment, and provides her with food, clothing, and first aid after she was injured while escaping security guards after being caught shoplifting

Party to Common Intention Party to common intention is the shared responsibility among criminals for any additional offences that are committed in the course of the crime originally intended to commit Example: Six people hijack an armoured truck and one of them shoots and kills the driver, all six could be charged with murder

An action does not always have to be completed for a crime to occur, there are exceptions to this rule Attempt Attempt is the intention to commit a crime, even when the crime is not completed Does not require Actus Reas but a guilty act begins when preparation turns into an attempted action Mens Rea is established as occurring at the beginning of an attempt Example: Trying to set off a bomb but it fails to explode Conspiracy Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to carry out an illegal act, even if the crime does not occur Example: You arrange a large drug purchase from an undercover police officer