Acquittement (droit)

In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the United States, an acquittal prohibits the retrial of the accused for the same offense, even if new evidence surfaces that further implicates the accused. The effect of an acquittal on criminal proceedings is the same whether it results from a jury verdict or results from the operation of some other rule that discharges the accused. In other countries, like Australia and the UK, the prosecuting authority may appeal an acquittal similar to how a defendant may appeal a conviction — but usually only if new and compelling evidence comes to light or the accused has interfered with or intimidated a juror or witness. Scots law has two acquittal verdicts: not guilty and not proven. However a verdict of "not proven" does not give rise to the double jeopardy rule. In England and Wales, which share a common legal system, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 creates an exception to the double jeopardy rule, by providing that retrials may be ordered if "new and compelling evidence" comes to light after an acquittal for a serious crime. Also, the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 permits a "tainted acquittal" to be set aside in circumstances where it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that an acquittal has been obtained by violence or threats of violence to a witness or juror/s. In modern England and Wales, and in all countries that substantially follow English criminal procedure, an acquittal normally results in the immediate liberation of the defendant from custody, assuming no other charges against the defendant remain to be tried. However, until 1774 a defendant acquitted by an English or Welsh court would be remanded to jail until he had paid the jailer for the costs of his confinement.

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Concepts associés (10)

L'acquittement est un verdict dans un procès pénal signifiant que le tribunal n'a pas pu prouver que l'accusé a commis l'infraction reprochée. Un acquittement est prononcé quand il n'y a pas eu d'infraction ou que les faits ne sont pas suffisamment établis. Il n'est donc pas nécessaire de prouver que le suspect n'a rien fait de répréhensible pour obtenir un acquittement. Dans le système juridique, le suspect est considéré comme innocent si sa culpabilité ne peut être prouvée légalement et de manière convaincante.

Verdict

In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales, a coroner's findings used to be called verdicts but are, since 2009, called conclusions (see ). The term "verdict", from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver ("true", from the Latin vērus) and dit ("speech", from the Latin dictum, the neuter past participle of dīcere, to say).

Droit écossais

vignette|Parlement écossais à Édimbourg. L'Écosse possède un système juridique mixte unique en Europe, basé sur la double base du droit romano-civiliste dans la lignée du Code de Justinien et de la common law récente (après l'union). Le système écossais est comparable notamment au droit sud-africain. Depuis l'Acte d'Union de 1707, la législature est partagée avec le reste du Royaume-Uni. Si le système législatif écossais est fondamentalement différent des systèmes gallois et anglais, il fut néanmoins influencé par ce dernier.