Alibi as a Defence in Criminal Liability

Abstract

Alibi simply means elsewhere. It is a defence of having been at a place other than the scene of the crime. It may equally connote that I was not present at the place where the offence was committed.

For a plea of alibi to succeed, an accused is expected to raise the plea immediately after his arrest by the police, that is, he must tell or inform the investigating police officer at the first contact, that he was not present at the scene of the crime or that he was at a particular place different from the place where the crime was committed. That is, when a person is charged with an offence he is entitled to say that he was in some particular place or places other than the scene of the crime at the time of the commission of the crime. The accused must give the particulars of his alibi at the earliest opportunity.