Acquit - Page 2 - Law Dictionary

Assoilsie

Assoilsie, to acquit a defendant, or to find a person not guilty of a crime, Scots Law....

Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea.

Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea. 3 Inst. 307; Co. Litt. 247 b.--(An act does not make a man guilty, unless there be guilty intention.) This is one of the most important rules of criminal law. 'As a general rule of our law, a guilty mind is an essential ingredient of crime, and this rule ought to be borne in mind in construing all penal statutes', Broom's Leg. Max. Applied by 9 Judges to 5 in Reg. v. Tolson, (1889) 23 QBD 168, so as to acquit on trial for bigamy a woman reasonably believing her first husband (whom she had lost sight of for less than 7 years) to be dead; see the elaborate judgment of Stephen, J., pp. 184 et seq., who, however, described the maxim as most unfortunate and misleading. An intention to offend against the penal provisions of a statute constitutes mens rea (Bank of New South Wales v. Piper, 1897 AC 383).The trend of modern legislation in regard to the health or security of the public is to attach the offence to the person who possesses, at least hypothe...

Assoile

Assoile [fr. absolvere, Lat.; obsolver, absoiller, assoiler, O. Fr.], to deliver from excommunication; to acquit or absolve, Staunf. Pl. Cr. 72 a....

Acquietandis Plegiis

Acquietandis Plegiis, an obsolete writ, lying for a surety against the creditor who refuses to acquit him after the debt is satisfied....

Excuse

To free from accusation or the imputation of fault or blame to clear from guilt to release from a charge to justify by extenuating a fault to exculpate to absolve to acquit...

Exculpate

To clear from alleged fault or guilt to prove to be guiltless to relieve of blame to acquit...

former jeopardy

former jeopardy 1 : a common-law plea in bar of autrefois acquit or autrefois convict 2 : double jeopardy ...

exonerate

exonerate -at·ed -at·ing [Latin exonerare to relieve, free, discharge, from ex- out + onerare to burden, from oner- onus load] 1 : to relieve esp. of a charge, obligation, or hardship 2 : to clear from accusation or blame compare acquit, exculpate ...

exculpate

exculpate -pat·ed -pat·ing [Medieval Latin exculpare, from Latin ex- out of + culpa blame] : to clear from alleged fault or guilt [a statement…offered to the accused is not admissible unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate the trustworthiness of the statement "Federal Rules of Evidence Rule 804(b)(3)"] compare acquit, exonerate ex·cul·pa·tion [ek-skəl-pā-shən] n ...

Absolve

Absolve, to acquit of a crime, to pardon or set free from excommunication. See ASSOILE....

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