a crime) Fox appeared in court ijesterday on three
charges of assault.
go to court (=officially ask to have a legal problem dealt with by a judge or jury in a court) She says she will go to court to try to proue that she was unfairly dis missed from her pb.
commit /кэпш/ [и T] commit a crime/offence to do
something illegaclass="underline" Can you be tried in this country for crimes that were committed abroad? I Since last year, he has committed at /east three further offences
courtroom /1cxrtnmi, -rum/ J л С usually singular) the room where a trial takes place: Simpson told a packed courtroom of the euents that happened on the night of the murder. I A fight broke out in о London courtroom ye&terday.
defendant /difendant/ [n C] the person in a court who has been charged with a crime and is trying to prove that he or she did not do it: The defendant pleaded not guilty.
the defence brttish the defense american /fto difens/
the lawyers in a court who try to prove that someone is
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О The defendant is represented oy lawyers who try to prove that he or she is innocent These lawyers are known as the defense.
, The prosecution tries to prove thai the defendant is guilty. They call witnesses who give evidence against him
not guilty of a crime
deftnct lawytr/defens* lawyer (=one of the members
of the defence) evidence /evjctois/ [n Uj all the information, objects,
documents etc that are used in a law court to help to prove what really happened during a crime piece of evidtvict The most important piece of evi dence, the murder weaponf had not been found. give evuienct (-teti a court what you know about a crime or the people involved in it) His former girlfriend
wos colled to gibe evidence
give evidence against sb {=tefi the court things that help to prove someone is guilty} Husbands and wives cannot be forced to give evidence against each other
guilty /'gilti/ [adj] having done something that is a crime: Do you think she's gu//fy? + of West was guilty o/seoera/ robberies not guilty He soid that he was not guilty of ant/ offence.
find sb guilty/not guilty (=when a court officially decides that someone has or has not committed a crime) She wqs found guilty of attempted murder.
ilUlOCCIlt finxant/ [adj] someone who is innocent has not committed a crime; Throughout their imprisonment (=uten they were in prison), the six men a/mays insisted that they were innocent
judge d^Adj/ in Qthe person in charge of a court, who knows a lot about the law, and who makes the official decision about what the punishment for a crime should be: Everyone stood up as the judge entered the court* room I Judge Butler gave the defendant q six-month jail sentence.
jury /djum/ [n C] a group of (usually 12) ordinary people, who listen to all the evidence about a crime, and then decide whether or not someone is guilty; The jury wqs made up of seven women and five men. I Have you ever been on a jury?
lawyer (a|so attorney /tger/ (n C\ someone who is trained in the law and who represents people in court; You have to study for a long time to become a lawyer I Everyone has the right to be represented in court by a lawyer.
plead guilty/plead not guilty / piud gilti, ,р!Ы not gifti/ when the defendent in a trial pleads guilty or pleads not guilty they officially tell a court at the beginning of a trial that they either did or did not com- mit a crime: "How does the defendant plead?" "Not guilty, your honor/ I If you plead guilty you might get a lighter sentence. (=a punishment that is not as severe)
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the prosecution /to .pros^'kjui/^il.pra-/ the lawyers in
a court who tjy to prove that someone is guilty of a crime
provt /prurv/ [v T] to show that something is definitely true, so that there is no doubt
represent /.repn'zent/ [v T] if a lawyer represents someone in a law court, they try to make sure that he or she gets a good result from a trial, for example by persuading the court that the person is not guilty of a crime
Sentence /sentans/ [n Q the official punishment that someone is given by a judge when a court decides that they are guilty of a crime, especially a period of time in prison
a 7-year/frmonth etc.sentence (=when someone has to go to prison for 7 years, 6 months etc) pass sentence («when a judge says what the punishment will be) Judge Evans will pass sentence on the three men tomorrow.
life sentence (-when someone must go to pnson for a very long time or for the rest of their life) death sentence (=when the punishment is death)
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sentence fsentons/ \v T] if a judge sentences someone, he or she says what the punishment for their crime will be
days in jail. I The judge sentenced him to 100 days' community service. (=when you have to do something that will help the people in your local area)
trial /1пиэ1/ [л С] an official and legal process in a law court, in which people try to prove whether or not someone is guilty of a crime: The trial is due to take place next month at Wood Green Crown Court. be on trial (for sth) (=when a court is trying to decide whether or not someone is guilty of a crime) A man from Seattle is on trial for the murder stand trial (=to have to go to a trial in which the court tries to prove you are guilty of a crime) The judge ruled that she was too ill to stand trial
verdict /Wdikt/ In CI the decision that the jury makes about whether someone is guilty of a crime or not: What's the jury's verdict? Guilty or not guilty? return a verdict (—officially say whether someone is guilty or not)