- Published on
Legal Terms – Impeding Apprehension or Prosecution
This offence arises under section 4 of the Criminal Law Act 1967, which prohibits deliberately providing assistance to someone known to have committed an indictable offence, when that assistance is intended to prevent, hinder, or delay their arrest, charge, or prosecution.
Examples of conduct that may amount to this offence include:
- Offering or arranging a safe location to avoid detection by law enforcement.
- Destroying, altering, or concealing evidence, such as clothing, digital files, or weapons.
- Providing false alibis or misleading statements to investigators.
- Helping the offender escape jurisdiction, for example by supplying travel documents or transportation.
The law also recognises several related criminal offences:
- Compounding an offence – entering an agreement to withhold information that could lead to the conviction or prosecution of a criminal, usually in exchange for payment or another benefit.
- Failing to assist a police officer – refusing to help when lawfully required to prevent a breach of the peace or assist in capturing an offender, a duty that arises from common law obligations.
- Obstructing a police officer – any deliberate act that interferes with an officer’s lawful execution of duties, including resisting arrest, providing false details, or physically blocking an investigation.
- Wasting police time – knowingly giving misleading statements or false reports that divert police resources and impede genuine investigations.
These offences are closely connected with behaviours relating to escape from lawful custody and attempts to undermine the administration of justice.
0 Comments