The parent asked whether the OP should be treated differently from people actually doing the malicious act. My analogy was meant to illustrate that we should.

The parent asked whether the OP should be treated differently from people actually doing the malicious act. My analogy was meant to illustrate that we should. I didn't express a stance either way on whether he should be prosecuted for a more minor offense or not, in the analogy's case trespassing. (There are obviously both pros and cons in the precedent set by prosecuting people for revealing their own minor crime on account of reporting a terrible one.)