... defendant has help or assistance. These people could be lookouts or locksmiths for example and are known as accomplices or more commonly in law, secondary offenders. The person who directly causes the actus reus of the offence is the principal offender whilst those who assist are secondary parties. It is set out in s.8 of the Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 that 'Whosoever shall aid, abet, counsel or procure the commission of any indictable offence...is liable to be tried, indicted and punished as a principal offender. It is clear that Del is guilty of murder and a jury would be able to convict quite easily. He is the principal offender and so Max and Rodney are secondary offenders which require more analysis to determine their criminal liability. Firstly, Max, who gave Del the gun, would be guilty of aiding and abetting. Defined by the courts, aiding is to help the ...

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