Business, Legal & Accounting Glossary
malicious burning to destroy property. The criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.
n. the felony crime of intentionally burning a house or other building. The perpetrators range from mentally ill pyromaniacs to store owners hoping to get insurance proceeds. Historically, arson meant just the burning of a house, but now covers any structure. A death resulting from arson is murder.
Arson is a form of criminal damage where the damage is initiated by fire, and where there is a risk of death or serious injury. To be guilty of arson one needs to be found guilty of criminal damage, which implies that the accused intended the damage or was subjectively reckless (Cunningham) towards the risk of damage. To convict, however, it is not necessary to show that the accused intended to cause death or serious injury, merely that he intended some damage, and set a fire.
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This glossary post was last updated: 26th April, 2020 | 1 Views.