aggravated legal definition

In criminal and tort law, a crime or tort becoming worse or more serious due to certain circumstances (determined by a statute for aggravated crimes and usually by statute and case law for aggravated torts) that occur or are present during the commission of the crime or tort, such as the possession of a deadly weapon, the youthfulness or pregnancy of the victim, or the reckless disregard for the other peopleÂ’s safety. The perpetrator of an aggravated crime is usually subject to more severe penalties than for unaggravated forms of offense. The perpetrator of an aggravated tort is subject to punitive damages. See also mitigating circumstance and simple.