Legal Definitions - effractor

An effractor is a historical legal term that refers to an individual who forcibly breaks into a building or structure. Essentially, it describes a person who gains unauthorized entry by overcoming physical barriers through the use of force, often with the intent to commit a crime inside, such as theft. In contemporary legal language, such an individual would typically be identified as a burglar or housebreaker.

• Imagine a scenario in the late 1800s where a person uses a heavy tool to pry open the bolted cellar door of a private residence after dark. This individual, by forcibly breaking the door to gain entry, would have been legally described as an effractor.

  Explanation: This example illustrates an effractor as someone who employs force (the heavy tool) to break into a building (the residence) to achieve unauthorized access, directly aligning with the historical definition of forcible entry.

• Consider a historical account where a thief smashes a display window of a jewelry store to climb inside and steal merchandise. The act of breaking the window to create an opening for entry would qualify the perpetrator as an effractor under the legal principles of the time.

  Explanation: Here, the smashing of the window represents the "breaking through" or forcible entry required by the term, making the person who committed the act an effractor.

• In an old legal document, if a person was described as having broken the heavy padlock on a secure barn door to access the livestock or equipment within, they would be labeled an effractor. The focus is on the forcible overcoming of a barrier to entry into a structure.

  Explanation: This example highlights the "breaking through" aspect by focusing on the forcible destruction of a lock on a barn door, which served as a primary barrier to the structure, thereby demonstrating the actions of an effractor.