CRIME & LAW

Crimes Criminals Crime verbs If you commit a

arson arsonist bribe crime you may be:
assault assassin burgle accused
assassination bigamist hijack arrested
bigamy blackmailer kidnap charged
blackmail burglar loot convicted
bomb attack drug dealer mug fined
bribery drug pusher murder interrogated
burglary forger rape sent to prison
drug dealing fraudster rob suspected
embezzlement hijacker shoplift tried
felony hooligan smuggle
forgery kidnapper steal
fraud looter vandalise
hijacking mugger
hooliganism murderer
housebreaking pickpocket
kidnapping rapist
looting robber
manslaughter shoplifter
mugging smuggler
murder spy
pickpocketing terrorist
robbery thief
shoplifting vandal
smuggling
spy
terrorism
theft
vandalism

Crime collocations Words connected Prison life Ways of

a forged 10 dollar with crime be behind bars prevention
note court cells a bodyguard
stolen goods fine criminals a burglar alarm
tax evasion guilty inmates a safe
the black market judge lock up an insurance
the legal limit jury to be released common sense
layer martial arts
punishment neighbours 
swear tear gas
testimony
trial
witness
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CRIME VERBS
Arrest to deprive of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority
Be cleared of to escape punishment or be found not guilty of the charged offences
all charges
Bribe giving money or gift to someone dishonestly to gain an illicit advantage
Burgle entering a house any other building or a car illegally.
Charge to accuse or impute a fault to a person, group or party as formally in a court
of law
Commit a crime to break the law or to do something illegal or immoral
Escort to accompany another or others for protection, guidance or restraint
Eyewitness to be present at an event and see it with one's own eyes
Identify to establish the identity of someone or something
Imprison to lock up or confine in a jail to serve out his or her pronounced sentence
Investigate to inquire into or examine systematically a situation or problem, especially a
crime or death, in order to discover the truth
Judge to hear and decide on in a court of law
Kidnap to take a person away by force especially to demand ransom
Loot steal goods from houses or shops during a riot, war or after earthquakes
Mug attacking people and stealing their money
Murder to kill someone deliberately
Plead guilty to confess or admit responsibility for a charged offence to get a lesser
punishment
Prove to provide evidence for or establish the validity of an argument
Reach a verdict to make an unanimous decision among the members of a jury about a case in a
civil or criminal court
Rape forcefully having sex with someone against their wish
Rob stealing from a bank, any other place or from a person
Sentence to pronounce sentence on a convicted person in a court of law
Shoplift stealing from a shop
Smuggle take goods illegally into or out of the country
Steal taking something dishonestly that doesn’t belong to you
Swear to take an oath in order to add force or solemnity to a statement or
declaration
Testify to declare or give testimony or evidence under oath in a court of law
Vandalise damaging public or private property intentionally

CRIME NOUNS
Arson the crime of starting a fire on purpose in order to destroy a building
Assassination the murder of someone famous or important
Attorney (AM): (also ‘lawyer’ or ‘sollicitor’ BR) one whose profession is to give advice
and assistance to clients and represent them in court or in legal matters
Bailiff an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and
make arrests
Blackmail when you get money from people or force them to do something by
threatening to tell a secret of theirs or to harm them

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Blackmailer someone who obtains money from people or forces them to do something by
threatening to make known a secret of theirs or to harm them
Bobby an informal term for a British policeman
Bribe money or a present that you give to someone so that they will do something
for you, usually something dishonest
Burglar a person who illegally enters buildings and steals thing
Burglary the crime of illegally entering a building and stealing things
Carjacking the crime of stealing someone's car while they are in it by using physical
force or threats
Community work that people do to help other people without payment, and which young
service criminals whose crime was not serious enough for them to be put in prison
are sometimes ordered to do
Cop uncomplimentary terms for a policeman, especially in the USA
Courthouse a public building in which courts of law are held
Courtroom a room in which the legal proceedings of a court are held
Death penalty a sentence of punishment by execution
Defendant a person against whom an action or claim is brought in a court of law
Domestic violence or physical abuse directed toward your spouse or domestic partner ;
violence usually violence by men against women
Drink-driving driving a vehicle after drinking too much alcohol
Drug dealing selling drugs
Electric chair a special chair which is used to kill a criminal with a current of electricity
Evidence information used in a court of law to decide whether the accused is guilty or
not
Fine a sum of money required to be paid as a penalty for an offense or any kind of
crime to the offended party
Forgery an illegal copy of a document, painting, etc. or the crime of making such
illegal copies
Fraud the crime of obtaining money by deceiving people
Genocide systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
Handcuff a pair of strong, connected hoops that can be tightened and locked about
the wrists and used on one or two arms of a prisoner in custody
Hijacking using force to take control of an aircraft or other vehicle
Judge the person who leads a trial and decides on the sentences
Jury a group of twelve citizens who decide on the verdict
Kidnapping taking a person away illegally by force, usually in order to demand money in
exchange for releasing them
Loot any valuable things or money stolen by an army at war or by thieves
Mugger a person who attacks people in a public place in order to steal their money
Mugging an act of attacking someone and stealing their money
Murder the crime of intentionally killing a person
Parking ticket an official notice which is put on your vehicle when you have parked illegally,
and which tells you that you must pay a particular amount of money as
punishment
Phishing the request confidential information over the Internet under false
pretences in order to fraudulently obtain credit card numbers, passwords, or
other personal data

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Pickpocket a thief who steals things out of pockets or bags, especially in a crowd
Pickpocketing stealing things out of pockets or bags, especially in a crowd
Poaching catching and killing animals without permission on someone else's land
Prison a building where criminals are forced to live as a punishment
Punishment when someone is punished e.g. with the red card (in football)
Rape the crime of forcefully having sex with someone against their wish
Robbery the act of unlawfully taking the property of another (most of the times
banks, shops or any kind of business) by the use of violence or intimidation
Sentence a punishment given by a judge in court to a person or organization after they
have been found guilty of doing something wrong
Shoplifting the illegal act of taking goods from a shop without paying for them
Slander a false spoken statement about someone which damages their reputation, or
the making of such a statement
Smuggler someone who takes something illegally into another country
Smuggling taking things or people to or from a place secretly and often illegally
Spanking the act of hitting someone with the hand, usually several times on the
bottom as a punishment
Speeding the act or an instance of driving especially a motor vehicle faster than is
allowed by law
Terrorism the act of violence for political aims
Terrorist someone who commits violent action for political purposes
Theft dishonestly taking something which belongs to someone else and keeping it
Torture infliction of severe physical pain as a means of punishment or coercion
Trial the judicial examination of the issues in a civil or criminal cause by a
competent tribunal and the determination of these issues in accordance with
the law of the land
Vandalism wilful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
Wheel clamp a metal device fixed to the wheel of an illegally parked car which will only be
removed when the owner pays an amount of money
Witness One who is called on to testify before a court

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FILL THE BLANKS IN THE TEXT ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE WITH ON OF THE WORDS
FROM THE BOX:

accomplice x accused x acquitted x charged x circumstantial evidence x

convicted x defend x deliberations x committed x fine x good behavior x
got x innocent x involvement x passed verdict x pleaded x prosecuting lawyer x
released x robbed x sentenced x served x strong x tried x witnessed x
witness stand

A few years ago, Bill ……………………………………….. a crime : he …………………………… a bank.

Someone ……………………………….. the crime and told the police.

The police ………………………………….. him with bank robbery.

They also ………………………………. his twin brother, Ben, of being his …………………………………… .

The case came to court and both were ………………………… .

The trial did not last very long. Bill and Ben both ………………………………….. not guilty in court.

Their lawyer did her best to ………………………………. them, but the …………………………………
…………………………… produced a very strong case against them.

There was only ……………………………………………………………… against Ben, so it was very unlikely

from the start that he would be ……………………………………….. .

However, the people who were asked to take the ……………………………………………. did provide
………………………………… evidence against Bill.

After brief ………………………………………………, the jury …………………………………………………. on the two

brothers.

They decided that Bill was guilty, but Ben was ………………………………………….. .

The judge …………………………………………… Ben of any ………………………………………….. in the robbery

but ……………………………………………… Bill to three years in prison.

He also had to pay a large …………………………… .

Bill ……………………………………. two years in prison but was ……………………………………. from prison a
year early.

He …………………………….. time off for ………………………………………………………………… .

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 KEY
A few years ago, Bill committed a crime : he robbed a bank.
Someone witnessed the crime and told the police.
The police charged him with bank robbery.
They also accused his twin brother, Ben, of being his accomplice.
The case came to court and both were tried.
The trial did not last very long. Bill and Ben both pleaded not guilty in court.
Their lawyer did her best to defend them, but the prosecuting lawyer produced a very strong
case against them.
There was only circumstantial evidence against Ben, so it was very unlikely from the start that
he would be convicted.
However, the people who were asked to take the witness stand did provide strong evidence
against Bill.
After brief deliberations, the jury passed verdict on the two brothers.
They decided that Bill was guilty, but Ben was innocent.
The judge acquitted Ben of any involvement in the robbery but sentenced Bill to three years in
prison.
He also had to pay a large fine.
Bill served two years in prison but was released from prison a year early.
He got time off for good behaviour.

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