Defendant

In court proceedings, a defendant is a person who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case.In a criminal trial, a defendant is a person accused (charged) of committing an offense (a crime; an act defined as punishable under criminal law). The other party to a criminal trial is usually a public prosecutor, but in some jurisdictions, private prosecutions are allowed.

Criminal defendants are often taken into custody by police and brought before a court under an arrest warrant. Criminal defendants are usually obliged to post bail before being released from custody. For serious cases, such as murder, bail may be refused. Defendants must be present at every stage of the proceedings against them. (There is an exception for very minor cases such as traffic offenses in jurisdictions that treat them as crimes.)

If more than one person is accused, the people may be referred to as "co-defendant" or "co-conspirator" in British and common law courts.

In some jurisdictions, vulnerable defendants may be able to get access to services of a non-registered intermediary to assist with communication at court.