compound theft

[ladorada]

What does the term "compound theft" mean? How can one define it? Here it is the context:

Two burglars who had been active in south-western France for 18 months were taken into custody by police after trying to sell part of their booty over the internet. The two men, aged 20 and 25, have confessed to at least 50 burglaries carried out in the region around Bordeaux in the past 18 months. They were charged with compound theft.

[almcd007]

It's not a term used in English law, It may be a translation glitch or term used in French Law. I would suspect it's a case of not being able to charge them with the actual theft (caught in the act) but charging them wih something similar to handling stolen goods.

[ladorada]

Your hint to French Law sent me to some interesting explanations. I searched and found "vol aggrave" in French meaning compound robbery. "vol aggrave" and "vol qualifie" are intercheangeable terms meaning the same thing. In Italian, both "furto qualificato" and "furto aggravato" mean compound robbery. However, if you say there is no such term in English law, I'm not yet sure what "compound theft" mean in English and how close it is to aggravated theft.

[almcd007]

I've worked in Law Crime & Personal Injury and have never heard of it - only a compound fracture !!

It may be that they have no translatable word for Robbery and like you say - it may mean Aggravated Theft - our Robbery.

Thief is "voleur" so you can see where "vol" comes from - "vol aggrave" translated is "Theft worsened" so a French way of saying Robbery - I think.