The 18th century law also stated that only the thief could be prosecuted—any accomplice or receiver of the stolen item could not be found guilty of the crime: "This meant that, if two people were indicted together, and there was not clear proof as to which one made the final act of taking, neither should be found guilty".
A lei do século XVIII também declarava que apenas o ladrão podia ser acusado. Qualquer cúmplice ou recetor do artigo roubado não podia ser culpado pelo crime.: "Isto significava que, se fossem indiciadas duas pessoas em conjunto, e não existissem provas concretas de qual delas tinha consumado o cato final de roubo, nenhuma deveria ser considerada culpada".