The first stage of any offence is the intention, often known as the mental or psycho stage. At this point, the offender determines his motive and his course of action in relation to the offence.
The irony of this stage is that the law cannot penalize a person simply for intending to commit an illegal act.
2. PREPARATION
It refers to arrange the required means for execution of the intentional criminal act. A crime cannot be established by intention or preparation alone.
Preparation is not penalized because the prosecution often fails to prove that the preparations in question are for the execution of the specific crime
3. ATTEMPT
After the preparation of the plan, an attempt is a direct step towards the execution of a crime. A person is guilty of attempting to commit an offence if he or she does something that is more than just preparatory to committing the offence.
Furthermore, a person is guilty of attempting to commit an offence even if the facts are such that the execution of the offence seem to be impossible.
4.ACCOMPLISHMENT
The successful accomplishment of an offence constitutes its last stage of commission. The accused will be found guilty of the complete offence if his attempt to commit the crime is successful.
Furthermore, he will be liable for his attempt even if it unsuccessful.