principal offense; principal offender
Legal term referring to the main crime or the person who directly commits it, as opposed to an accomplice (共犯).
See also: 共犯
He was indicted as the principal offender in the robbery.
The severity of punishment differs between a principal offense and complicity.
Compound of 正 (correct, main) and 犯 (crime, offense), used as a legal term for the principal crime or offender.