Legal Definitions - receptator

In Scots law, a receptator refers to an individual who:

• Harbors a felon: This means providing shelter, assistance, or any form of aid to a person who has committed a serious crime, knowing they are a criminal and helping them evade capture or justice.
• Receives stolen property: This involves acquiring or possessing goods that one knows or reasonably suspects to have been obtained through theft or other criminal means.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a receptator:

• Example 1 (Harboring a Felon): After a high-profile art heist, one of the perpetrators seeks refuge at a remote farmhouse owned by an acquaintance. The acquaintance, fully aware of the heist and the perpetrator's involvement, allows them to stay for several weeks, provides food, and helps them avoid detection by local authorities, never reporting their presence.

  Explanation: In this scenario, the acquaintance acts as a receptator by knowingly providing shelter and assistance to a felon, thereby helping them evade capture and justice.

• Example 2 (Receiving Stolen Property): A person is offered a brand-new, top-of-the-line laptop for an unusually low price – less than half its retail value – by a casual acquaintance who claims they "got a great deal." Given the suspicious circumstances and the extremely low price, the buyer strongly suspects the laptop is stolen but purchases it anyway. The buyer then uses the laptop for their personal work.

  Explanation: Here, the buyer is a receptator because they have received and are in possession of property that they knew, or had strong reason to believe, was stolen.

• Example 3 (Active Concealment of a Felon): A person helps a fugitive, who is wanted for a serious assault, obtain false identification documents and arranges for their travel out of the country to escape prosecution. This assistance is provided with full knowledge of the fugitive's criminal background and the intent to help them avoid legal consequences.

  Explanation: This individual is acting as a receptator by actively aiding a felon in concealing their identity and facilitating their escape from justice, thereby harboring them in a more elaborate sense beyond just providing physical shelter.