accomplice

Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets another person in the commission of a crime. It exists in a number of different countries and generally allows a court to pronounce someone guilty for aiding and abetting in a crime even if they are not the principal offender. English common law distinguished aiding and abetting from being an accessory before the fact in that the former required presence at the crime, while the latter required absence from the crime. Some jurisdictions maintain that distinction. Other jurisdictions have merged being an accessory before the fact with aiding and abetting.