In Saxon law, backberend (also spelled backberende or back-berande) was a term applied to a thief who was found having the stolen goods in his possession. The term is derived from "bearing upon the back" and was customarily used with handhabend

Handhabend

In Saxon law, handhabend was a term applied to a thief who was found having the stolen goods in his possession; the thief himself was a hontfongenethef. "Handhabend" is derived from "having [a thing] in his hand".By extension, the term also means the jurisdiction to try a thief caught with the...

.

A thief caught "handhabend and backberende" could be given a relatively summary trial. Almost any theft could be a felony

Felony

A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...

, and the death penalty might be applied.