Цыбина Е.А., Нудько В.А. Английский язык

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with the offence, that is to say the police formally accuse him of committing it. After

this, the accused appears before a mastrate. This is a well-respected member of the

public who is empowered to decide, with a lawyer’s help, what to do about minor

cases. If the magistrate finds the accused guilty, he will sentence him to pay a fine, or

some other minor punishment.

More serious cases are passed up to the Crown Court, where the accused is tried

for the offence by a judge, and usually a jury. Very serious cases are heard in the

high courts in London. The accused may have to wait a long time to stand trial.

Sometimes he can pay bail, as a kind of guarantee, and await the trial in freedom. In

other cases, he is remanded in custody by the magistrate, and must wait in a cell, in a

police station or a remand prison.

At the trial, the accused pleads guilty or not guilty. If he pleads not guilty, the

jury, composed of twelve ordinary citizens, has to decide if he is guilty or not. This

decision is called their verdict. The judge directs proceedings, and decides what

punishment to give, if any. The lawyers who try to persuade the jury are called

barristers. In court, the one on the side of the accused is known as the Counsel for

the Defence, and the one against him is called the Counsel for the Prosecution. Each

barrister calls witnesses to give evidence in support of his case. The witnesses can be

cross-examined by the other counsel, who tries to persuade the jury that the evidence

is untrue or not important.

When all the evidence has been heard, the judge sums up the case and explains

legal points for the jury’s benefit. He must not try to influence their decision,

however. The jury retire to another room, where they try to reach a verdict. If they

find the accused guilty as charged, we say he has been convicted of the offence. The

judge then passes sentence. He may sentence the guilty person to pay a fine, to a

number of years’ imprisonment, or to some other punishment. If the verdict is ‘not

guilty’, we say the accused has been acquitted of the offence, and he goes free. If the

accused feels there was something unfair about the trial, he may appeal to the Appeal

Courts, where three judges decide the case.

44. Cover the text. Which words on the left go with which word or words on the

right?

a plead

b cross-examine

c remand

d commit

e reach

f stand

g find

h hear

i pay

j call

k give

l sum up

m pass

I verdict

II case

III imprisonment

IV sentence

V witnesses

VI offence

VII evidence

VIII guilty/not guilty

IX trial

X fine

XI bail

XII custody

45. Which people are connected with which items in Exercise 43. In what way?

the police the accused the magistrate the judge the jury the

witnesses the barristers

46. Circle the odd-one out.

1 illegal unlawful offence crime prohibited truth

2 jury judge magistrate witness weapon lawyer

3 innocent prosecute sentence convict charge arrest

4 murder blackmail bail mugging burglary arson

5 fine trial prison sentence damages caution community

service

6 thief burglar forger barrister drug dealer shoplifter

47. Match these definitions with a word(s) from activity 45.

1 A person who saw a crime being committed. __________

2 To deliberately set fire to a property. __________

3 Someone who defends the accused in court. __________

4 To sentence an offender to pay money. __________

5 Against the law. __________

6 Someone who steals from houses. __________

7 A group of citizens who decide whether a defendant is guilty or not. __________

8 To take legal action against someone. __________

48. Complete the sentences.

1 He was c_______ of manslaughter and s_______ to two years in prison.

2 The j______ found the man g ______ of pre-meditated murder.

3 In Britain, it is a criminal o________

to carry a weapon.

4 There is always a t_______ by jury for serious crimes.

5 The policeman stopped the driver and a _______ him of dangerous driving.

6 The police dropped the c_______ against the woman because she had a good alibi.

7 The jury found the man i______ and he was released.

8 It is against the l________ to sell stolen goods.

49. Match the sentences with the replies.

1. Someone tried to break into my house in the

night. I turned the lights on and they ran away.

2. Why can’t I fish in that river?

3. Should I bring a cake or something?

4. He was attacked by thieves and he fought

back bravely. Unfortunately he is in hospital now.

a No, but you must have a licence to drive a

car.

b He should have given them his money

without resisting.

c No, you can’t drive until you are eighteen.

d You don’t need to bring anything.

5. Do you need a licence to ride a bike in

Britain?

6. Are you allowed to drive a car before you.

are eighteen?

e Nevertheless, you should have called the

police. They may come again when you are

out.

f Because you have to have a licence.

50. You are going to read about ten people who have been charged with different

crimes and found guilty or not guilty. Guess what the court’s verdict was.

1 Joe a 15 year-old, broke into his neighbour’s house, burgled the house, locked the

eighty-year-old woman a her bathroom and escaped in her car. At the trial, the

defence pleaded not guilty to the charges with the reason of temporary insanity

caused by Joe watching too much television. He watched more then six hours a day,

loved come programmes and had just watched a film which contained scenes similar

to the crime he had committed.

Was Joe GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of burglars and false imprisonment?

2 Max went to a second-hand car dealer named Harry and told him that he only

wanted a car that had air conditioning. Harry said OK and pointed out a car. Max

took the car to the test drive and then bought it to see if it had air conditioning. When

he got the car home, he discovered that the knob marked ‘air’ was for ventilation

only. Max sued Harry for fraud and demanded compensation.

Was Harry GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of fraud?

3 James had been unemployed for over two years and needed a new suit to wear at job

interviews. However, he did not have enough money. He happened to have the same

name as the richest man in town, so he went to a tailor’s and put a new suit on the other

man’s account, simply by signing his own name. He was charged with forgery’, but he

argued that he had not forged anyone’s signature by signing his own name.

Was James GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of forgers?

4 Police began searching a suspected thief’s home but couldn’t find any of the stolen

goods they were looking for. During the search, a police officer secretly took aside

the thief’s five-year-old son and said he would pay him five dollars if he showed him

where the stolen goods were hidden. The boy accepted the money and took the police

to the hiding place. When the police charged the boy’s mother with burglary, she

stated that the stolen goods should not be used as evidence and accused the

policeman of bribing her child.

Were the police GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of bribery?

5 The manager of a shop was informed by a customer that a woman had taken

something off a shelf and put it in her bag without paying for it. When he

investigated, the manager saw articles similar to those on sale in the shop in the

woman’s clear plastic bag. At the cash-desk, the manager accused her of shoplifting.

However, when the woman emptied her bag and the manager saw that she possessed

no stolen items, he apologised. She pressed charges against him for slander.

Was the shop manager GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of slander?

6 Sally reversed her car out of her drive and accidentally ran over her flat-mate’s dog

which was sleeping in the car’s path. The dog was badly injured and had to be treated

by a vet. Sally’s flat-mate Jane sued her for $1000 in damages to compensate for the

vet’s fee. Jane argued that Sally had driven without due care and attention because

she knew that the dog would often sleep on the drive and could not hear the car

because he was deaf.

Should Sally be ordered to pay compensation?

7 In New York in the l970s, a young woman whose surname was Cooperman went to

court to have her name changed to Cooperperson. She was an active member of the

Women’s Rights Movement and because of this, she wanted to have a name which

reflected human equality.

Should Ms Cooperman be allowed to change her name?

8 Diana consulted a plastic surgeon who told her that he could make her nose smaller

and ‘more harmonious with her other features’. After three operations, it looked

much worse than before. Diana sued the surgeon.

Should the surgeon be ordered to pay compensation?

9 A male teacher who wore a small earring to work was sacked from his job. He

claimed that he had been sacked because the school administration thought it was

inappropriate for a male teacher to wear an earring and he accused the school of

sexual discrimination.

Was the school GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of sexual discrimination?

10 During local government elections, a newspaper printed profiles of all the party

candidates, but the profile of the Green Party candidate was completely unintelligible.

Margaret, a member the Green Party, thought that the newspaper had done it on

purpose and so she wrote an angry letter to the editor. In order to make sure it was

printed, she paid for it to be published as an advertisement. The newspaper printed it

and then sued Margaret for libel.

Was Margaret GUILTY or NOT GUILTY of libel?

51. Now read the court’s verdict for each case.

1 The court found Joe guilty, stating that there was no evidence that television was

responsible for his inability to distinguish between right and wrong.

2 The court found Harry not guilty because Max should have checked the air

conditioning for himself.

3 The court found James guilty of committing forgery.

4 The court found the police not guilty and stated that they pay for information all the

time.

5 The court found the shop manager guilty and ordered him to pay the woman

damages.

6 Yes, the court found Sally guilty of negligence.

7 No, the court ruled against a change of name, saying that they would have to accept

all requests of this nature. For example, Jackson would become. Jackchild and

Manning would become Peopling.

8 Yes, the court ruled that the surgeon had broken his contract to improve Diana’s

appearance.

9 The court found the school not guilty of sexual discrimination. Although the law

prohibits dismissal based on gender, it does not protect against discrimination against

an effeminate appearance

10 The court ruled against the newspaper because it needn’t have agreed to print

Margaret’s advertisement.

52. Look at the definitions of some crimes below and circle words in the word square

which make the name of the crimes. You can read forwards or backwards, across,

down or diagonally.

a) Breaking into a building and stealing something.

b) Being married to more than one person.

c) Getting money-by threatening to tell a secret about somebody.

d) Taking things in and out of a country against the law.

e) Going on to privately owned land without something permission.

f) Attacking and robbing someone.

g) Sexual assault.

h) The premeditated killing of someone.

T R E S P A S S I N G

F L T M B O P Z U Q O

O Z

B U R G L A R Y

M C L G P H J C Z R P

U H A G D P Q M A E X

V Y C L Z J Y P X D G

S J K I P M E N L R S

X P M N A I J U G U E

N D A G N I G G U M K

T Q I O Y H O R M O I

Y B L S L E A D F R T

53. Which verbs go with the nouns above? What is the person called who commits

these Crimes? Complete the columns below.

Crime

burglary

_______

______________

Verb

burgle

_________

______________

Person

burglar

________

______________

54. Guess which of the following statements about murder are true.

a) Most murders are premeditated. _______

b) A lot of murders are caused by alcohol or drugs. _______

c) People who know each other do not often kill each other. _______

d) Murders usually are more violence than is necessary to kill someone. _______

e) In the USA there are more than 10.000 murders each year. _______

f) In Britain there are no more than 1.000 murders a year. _______

g) It’s quite difficult to get a gun anywhere in Britain. _______

55. Divide these expressions into P (for Premeditated) and U(for Unpremeditated).

a) sudden fit of passion_________.

b) in co/el blood _________.

c) plan the deed_________.

d) lose your temper_________.

e) on the spur of the moment_________.

56. Below you see the story of an extraordinary case in British legal history. The

affair started in 1949 and was finally closed in 1966.

At the moment, there are a number of gaps in the story. Use the words below to

complete it.

trial confessed court custody guilty

convicted enquiry(x2) sentenced jury execution

arrested innocent charged appeal dropped

pardon judges plea apprehended hunt

suspect tried executed statements denied

The story began when a man called Timothy Evans was … for the murder of his

wife and baby. He was … with the double murder, but a shot time later one of the

charges was … and he was … for the murder of his daughter only. During the …

Evans accused the man whose house he had been living in, John Christie, of the

crimes, but no attention was paid to him. The … found Evans … and he was … to

death. An … was turned down and he was … in 1950.

Some time later, more women’s bodies were discovered in Christie’s house:

two, three, four, five, six. John Christie was the police’s chief … and they started a

nationwide … for him. He was soon … . Alleged … by Christie while he was in …

cast doubt on the Evans handing. When he went to …, Christie … that he had

murdered Mrs. Evans, but in private it was said that he … to that crime. His … of

insanity with regard to other murders was rejected and he was … of killing his wife.

Soon afterwards there was an … into the … of Timothy Evans. The … decided

that justice had been done and Evans had been rightly hanged. It was only in 1966

that another … was set up. This time it was decided that Evans had probably been …

and he was given a free … . Better late than never, as they say.

57. Now a quiz on some points of law – English style. The answers may well be

different in your country. Simply answer the question Yes or N. The answers

according to English law are printed at the end of the quiz.

1. Is it a crime to try and kill yourself?

2. Is it illegal to help somebody to commit suicide?

3. Can you be executed for murdering a policeman?

4. If, after a murder, all the victim’s relatives plead: ‘Please don’t prosecute!’ can

charges against the suspected culprit be dropped?

5. If two armed thieves break into a house, guns in hand, and one of them shoots

and kills the house-owner, is his accomplice guilty of murder?

6. If I surprise an intruder in my lounge at night stealing my millions, have I legal

right to assault

him with a weapon?

7. If I set a trap – a fifty-kilo weight just above the front door – for any burglars

who might try and enter the house, am I breaking the law?

8. After a divorce or legal separation, can a wife be required to pay alimony to

her ex-husband?

9. If I promise to marry my girlfriend and then change my mind shortly before the

wedding, can she take me to court?

10. If you said to your teacher in the middle of one of his lessons: ‘You don’t know

the first things about teaching!’ could he bring a civil action against you?

11. Would I be in danger of committing an offence if I put an advertisement for my

school in the paper saying: ‘Male white teacher required’?

12. If, as a defendant (or the accused), I am not satisfied with the way my

barrister has handled my defence, can I sue him?

13. If you were in my house – uninvited – and the ceiling, which had had a large

crack in it for some time, caved in and broke your leg, would it be a good idea to

consult your solicitor?

14. Can a person suspected of and charge with rape be allowed bail?

Answers

1. No, not any more.

2. Yes, even mercy-killing (euthanasia) is against the law.

3. No. Capital punishment was abolished in the 1960s.

4. No. Murder is a crime against society (this involves criminal law) and not just

a civil matter between individuals.

5. Yes. Joint guilt. In the eyes of the law, both are guilty.

6. No – at least, only in self-defence.

7. Yes.

8. Yes.

9. No, not now. Some years ago she could have sued me for breach of promise.

10. Yes, he could claim it was slander (or libel, if you wrote it in a newspaper). He

probably wouldn’t, though, because of the legal costs.

11. Yes, because of the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act.

12. No.

13.

Yes. You could sue me for negligence and I would probably have to pay

damages.

14. Yes.

58. There are many crimes and offences apart from the few mentioned above.

Explain, define or give examples of the offences listed below.

blackmail

kidnapping

arson

trespassing

manslaughter

smuggling

forgery

bigamy

baby- or wife battering

conspiracy

fraud

driving without due care and attention

mugging – robbery with violence

drug peddling

espionage – spying

shoplifting

treason

hijacking

obscenity

bribery and corruption

Which of the above would or could involve the following?

counterfeit mone

pornography

hostages

a ransom

heroin

a traitor

state secrets

contraband

a store detective

59. Here is a story of a very unfortunate, irresponsible man called Mr. N.E. Body.

Imagine that he was stopped by the police at each and every point of the drama. Read

about what happened and, after each piece of information you receive, decide what

punishment he deserves.

Here are some of the sentences you might wish to hand out:

You might feel the death penalty is in order, or life imprisonment, even solitary

confinement. You could put him on probation, give him community service or

impose a fine – anything from to You might consider corporal punishment (a short,

sharp shock), a shortish prison sentence or, of course, you could make that a

suspended sentence. You might make him pay compensation, or would you like to

see him banned from driving? No? Well, his licence could be endorsed. Or would

you dismiss the case, find him not guilty of any crime, acquit him, find the case not

proved?

1 Mr. Body drank five pints of beer and five single whiskies in a pub, got into his car

and drove away.

2 He did not drive dangerously but exceeded the speed limit as he wanted to catch

up with a friend who had left his wallet in the pub.

3 As e was driving along, a little girl ran into the road and he knocked her down.

4 There was no way he could have stopped, drunk or sober.

5 The little girl suffered only bruises and superficial injuries.

6 Mr. Body’s wife had left him two days before.

7 Six months later, it was clear that the little girl was to suffer from after-effects of

the accident and would stutter for many years.

8 Mr. Body had never previously received any summons for traffic offences.

9 The little girl admitted that it was all her fault.

10 The passenger in Mr. Body’s car was killed outright as he went through the.

60. Write or discuss the answers to these questions.

1 Which aspects of the law seem unsatisfactory to you?

2 How have criminals been portrayed in films you have seen recently? Were the

criminals portrayed as heroes, idiots or evil individuals?

3 What – in detail – would happen to you in your country if you were caught:

a speeding in your car?

b in possession of soft drugs?

c with a gun in your pocket?

d breaking into a house?

61. Write a judge’s summing up after a trial, reminding the jury of the witnesses’

testimony and advising them on how to reach their verdict.

NOTE

A. Note the difference between the verbs: steal and rob. The object of the verb

‘steal’ is the thing which is taken away, e.g. they stole my bike, whereas the object of

the verb ‘rob’ is the person or place from which things are stolen, e.g. I was robbed

last night. A masked man robbed the bank. ‘Steal’ is irregular; steal, stole, stolen.

B. The table below gives the names of some other types of crimes together with

their associated verbs and the name of the person who commits the crimes.

crime definition criminal verb

murder killing someone

murderer

murder

shoplifting stealing something from a shop shoplifter shoplift

burglary stealing something from someone’s home burglar burgle

smuggling taking something illegally into another country smuggler smuggle

kidnapping taking a person hostage in exchange for money

or other favours, etc.

kidnapper kidnap

C. All the verbs in the table above are regular.

Here are some more useful verbs connected with crime and law. Note that many

of them have particular prepositions associated with them.

Bill committed a crime when 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 they 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.

After brief deliberations, the jury passed verdict on them. They decided that Bill

was 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 [jail] but was released from prison a year early. He got

time off for good behaviour.

D. Here are some useful nouns.

trial: the legal process in court whereby an accused person is investigated, or tried,

and then found guilty or not guilty

case: a crime that is being investigated

evidence: information used in a court of law to decide whether the accused is guilty or not

proof: evidence that shows conclusively whether something is a fact or not

judge: the person who leads a trial and decides on the sentence i.e. the punishment

jury: group of twelve citizens who decide on the verdict i.e. whether the accused is

guilty or not

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