Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: coprincipal
Allied Offense: When someone commits a crime that is so similar to another crime that they are automatically guilty of both. For example, if stealing a car and stealing a bike have the same elements, then someone who steals a car is also automatically guilty of stealing a bike.
Definition: An allied offense is a crime that has elements so similar to another crime that the commission of one automatically means the commission of the other.
Example: If someone commits the crime of burglary, which involves breaking into someone's home with the intent to steal, they have also committed the allied offense of trespassing, which involves entering someone's property without permission.
This example illustrates how the commission of one crime automatically leads to the commission of another crime due to the similarity of their elements. In this case, the act of breaking into someone's home with the intent to steal also involves entering the property without permission, which is the act that constitutes the allied offense of trespassing.