Article
A person who, on the basis of actual indications, is suspected of having committed a crime. The word is most commonly used in a police report, where it is a synonym for perpetrator or alleged perpetrator. However, the word is also widely used in other contexts: “the usual suspects”; “a faulty electrical system was the suspect in this house fire”, etc. Once the process of prosecution has started, a suspect is then referred to as the accused or defendant. If police question the suspect, they have to read them their Miranda rights.
This page was last edited on 19 July 2017, at 07:23.