accessory

In law, a criminal accomplice who aids in the commission of a crime committed by someone else. An accomplice may be either ‘before the fact’ (assisting, ordering, or procuring another to commit a crime) or ‘after the fact’ (giving assistance after the crime). An accomplice present when the crime is committed is an abettor.

In Scots law, except for treason, the status of accessory after the crime is not recognized, and in the USA the distinction of the English common law between principal and accessory has by statute been abolished, every person concerned being liable to punishment as a principal.