The K-Zone: acquital

To be acquited of a crime is to be deemed to be innocent of the charges after a court hearing. This is different from a Discharge, where the case is never heard. In general, a defendant who is acquited can not be tried again for the same offence. If more than one defendant is on trial for the same offence (see: Accomplice), the acquital of one of them is not admissible as evidence in favour of the others. A conviction, however, is admissible against the other defendants. This is because an acquital is not `proof' of innocence, it is merely an indication that the prosecution did not establish a case strong enough for a conviction. In other words, `innocent until proven guilty' does not mean that `all are innocent until all are proven guilty'.

CriminalLaw