Proving the Guilt

The third and often the most difficult phase of the investigation is collecting the facts necessary in the trial to prove the guilt of the accused. The final stage of a criminal investigation is the presentation of evidence in court. The fact of the existence of the crime must be established; the defendant must be identified and associated with the crime scene; competent witnesses must be identified; the evidence must be collected and preserved; its connection with the case must be shown and the whole must be presented in an orderly and logical fashion.

Active words

to locate, trace (n, v), confession, eyewitness, testimony, circumstantial evidence, appearance, statement, corroborative evidence, associative evidence, quarrel (n, v), opportunity, clue, weapon, tool, struggle (v, n), to hide, defendant, to preserve.

VI. Read and translate the words, paying attention to the affixes and conversion.

to commit – commission; to possess – possession; to associate –associative; to present – presentation; to state – statement; to defend – defendant; to solve – solution – solved – unsolved; to accomplish – accomplishment; to observe – observation; competent – incompetent; to trace – trace; to witness – witness; to interview – interview; to search – search; to concern – concern; to evidence – evidence: to suspect – suspect; to charge – charge; to judge – judge; to gain – gain.

VII. Answer the questions.

1. What aims must the investigator accomplish while investigating a crime?

2. What are the phases of the investigation?

3. How is the identity of the criminal discovered?

4. How can the location of the suspect be established?

5. What is usually the most difficult stage of the investigation?

VIII. Read and translate the sentences. Find the true sentences and correct the false ones.

1. The investigation of an offence is divided into three main phases.

2. A criminal always leaves physical clues at the crime scene.

3. The identity of the criminal can be established only by eyewitnesses.

4. The second phase of the investigation is concerned with tracing and locating the criminal.

5. Usually the location of the suspect can easily be established if the criminal is identified.

6. Investigation is the process of discovering the identity of the suspect.

7. The identity of the suspect may be established by his or her confession.

8. Finding the perpetrator is the most difficult task of the investigation.

9. If the accused confessed the investigator needn't prove his guilt.