Legal Definition of a Heist
Each state`s laws may define robbery slightly differently, but each definition will contain the same basic elements. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states that «when using the figures, all comparisons between countries should be made with caution because of differences in legal definitions of crime in countries or different methods of counting and recording crimes». Not all crimes are reported either, which means two things; (1) robbery rates will appear lower than they actually are, and; (2) The percentage of unreported offences will be higher in some countries than, for example, in others – in one country, 86% of robberies were reported, while in another country, only 67% of robberies were reported. The last thing to note is that crime will vary from certain neighborhoods or areas in each country, so just because a national rate is a certain rate doesn`t mean the same danger or safety will stay everywhere in that country. Theft usually leads to imprisonment. Only robbery with little damage and little guilt and other mitigating factors would lead to an alternative punishment in the form of a high-level community order. [20] The maximum penalty under the law is life imprisonment. [21] He is also subject to mandatory sentences under the Criminal Justice Act, 2003. Current penal guidelines recommend that the penalty for robbery resulting in high damage, culpability and other aggravating factors should not exceed 20 years. It is enough to put the victim in fear of bodily harm.
Fear can be aroused by words or gestures, such as: threatening the victim with a weapon. The threat of direct bodily injury or death need not be directed against the owner of the property. It can be addressed to a family member of the owner, other relatives or even someone from the owner`s business. Violence or intimidation must occur before or simultaneously travel to constitute robbery. Violence or intimidation after ingestion is not robbery. However, if the violence occurs so soon after ingestion that it is part of the same transaction, the violence is legally related to the ingestion. Violence or intimidation used after arrest and simply as a means of escape is not sufficient grounds for a charge of robbery. Robbery was an offence under English common law.
Matthew Hale gave the following definition: Types of robbery include armed robbery, when a firearm is used, and robbery, when a person brings a deadly weapon or something that appears to be a deadly weapon. Street robbery or robbery occurs outdoors or in a public place such as a sidewalk, street or parking lot. Hijacking is the act of forcibly stealing a car from a victim. Blackmail is the threat to do something illegal, or the offer not to do something illegal if the property is not given, mostly with words instead of deeds. This requires proof of theft under section 1(1) of the Theft Act 1968. In R. v. Robinson,[7] the accused threatened the victim with a knife to recover the money he was actually owed. His conviction for robbery was overturned on the basis that Robinson honestly believed, albeit unreasonably (under paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Act) in his legal right to money. See also R v Skivington [1968] 1 QB 166, [1967] 2 WLR 655, 131 JP 265, 111 SJ 72, [1967] 1 All ER 483, 51 Cr App R 167, CA. In general, American criminal law has inherited its common law definitions of robbery from the English legal system. States have now codified robbery laws in their criminal codes, and different lawmakers have defined criminality slightly differently.
Robbery is the crime of taking something of value through violence, threat of violence, or fear of the victim, or trying to take something of value. At common law, robbery is defined as the expropriation of another person`s property with the intent to permanently deprive that person of that property by force or fear; That is, it is a theft or theft carried out by an attack. [1] The exact definitions of the offence may vary by jurisdiction. Robbery differs from other forms of theft (such as burglary, shoplifting, pickpocketing or car theft) in its inherently violent nature (a violent crime); While many minor forms of theft are punished as misdemeanors, robbery is still a crime in jurisdictions that distinguish between the two. Under English law, most forms of theft are negotiable in both cases, while robbery can only be tried on charge. The word «rob» comes from French from late Latin words (e.g., deraubare) of Germanic origin, from the common Germanic flight «flight». In the United States, robbery is generally treated as a serious form of theft at common law. The specific elements and definitions differ from State to State.
The most common elements of robbery are: There is no need to take property away from the owner or holder of legal title. The thief can rob someone who owns or keeps property, even if that person does not own it. The person who has been deprived of the property must have exercised control over it. Bodily harm with intent to steal is a criminal offence. [19] She faces a sentence of life imprisonment or less. [24] The threat or use of force must occur immediately before or at the time of the flight. The violence used once the flight is over does not turn the theft into a flight. A thief does not necessarily need to use great force to commit theft. A regular purse theft is a good example of how the rules differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Some states, such as New Jersey, require that the use of force increase the danger to the victim. In other states, such as Maine, juries may find that the force used to seize the purse could satisfy the use of a violent criminal element. Robbery is the criminal removal of personal property in the possession of another, their person or their immediate presence and against their will, by force or fear. Spring. Code Cal. The Bundesbank Robbery Act recognises the federal interest in protecting nationally insured deposits and therefore also protects credit unions and savings institutions. It defines and describes the suppression of bank robbery and related offences, including: The words «or immediately after» in section 23 § 1 (b) of the Theft Act 1916 were intentionally omitted from section 8 (1). [11] By FindLaw staff | Reviewed by Evan Fisher, Esq. | Last updated November 19, 2021 Robbery is the only criminal offence of aggravated robbery.
[6] Robbery must also include abduction or accumulation, that is, a removal by which property is removed from the victim`s possession and transferred to the victim`s possession. The crime is accomplished when the thief takes possession of the property, even for a short period of time. The thief does not have to carry the property away from the physical presence of the person who is legally possessed or even flee with him. The slightest change of location is enough to establish a sport. As soon as the thief takes possession of the property, the crime is committed, even if the thief later leaves the property. Robbery and robbery are similar, but robbery involves two additional factors: the victim must be concerned or fear that force will be used immediately before or at the time of ownership. A threat is not immediate if the perpetrator threatens to use force at some point in the future. Robbery occurs when an assailant forcibly grabs a cell phone or uses a knife to give the holder an implicit threat of violence, and then picks up the phone.The threatened person does not need to own the property. It is not necessary for the victim to have been genuinely afraid, but the accused must have caused the victim or another person to fear immediate violence or to have attempted to do so. [17] Robbery is the criminal and forced movement of someone else`s money or property that frightens them, whether the value of the robbery is greater or less than one shilling. [22] Robbery is defined as the forced expropriation or threat of expropriation of another`s property. It is also sometimes referred to as theft by threat or violence. Because robbery involves injury or threat of injury, it is considered a more serious crime than many of the other theft crimes. Under the current penal guidelines, the penalty for robbery is influenced by various aggravating and mitigating factors. It is particularly important to know how much damage was done to the victim and how much guilt the perpetrator had (for example, carrying a weapon or leading group work involves a high level of guilt).
Robbery is divided into three categories, which are increasingly serious: street advertising or less sophisticated advertising; Apartment; and professionally planned commercially. [20] In the case of robbery, the victim must be «afraid» of immediate threats or intimidation.