Offences at Sea Act 1799

Last updated

Offences at Sea Act 1799 [1]
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Long title An Act for remedying certain Defects in the Law respecting Offences committed upon the High Seas.
Citation 39 Geo. 3. c. 37
Dates
Royal assent 10 May 1799
Other legislation
Amended by Criminal Law Act 1967
Status: Amended
Revised text of statute as amended

The Offences at Sea Act 1799 (39 Geo. 3. c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It is still in force. It extended the jurisdiction of British courts to crimes committed by British subjects on the high seas. It does not apply to foreign citizens. (However crimes committed by foreigners in British territorial waters, or on board British ships on the high seas, can be prosecuted in British courts.) Jurisdiction over piracy on the high seas already existed before 1799, whether committed by British subjects or not.[ citation needed ]

Contents

This Act appears to determine the sentence for piracy iure gentium in cases where section 2 of the Piracy Act 1837 does not apply. [2]

Provisions

Preamble

The preamble was repealed by Part I of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.

Section 1

This section now reads:

All and every offence and offences which after the passing of this Act shall be committed upon the high seas, out of the body of any county of this realm, shall be and they are hereby declared to be offences . . . liable to the same punishments respectively, as if they had been committed upon the shore . . .

The words "of the same nature respectively, and to be" and the words from "and shall be inquired of" onwards were repealed by Part I of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.

Section 2

This section was repealed by Part I of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.

See also

Related Research Articles

Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treason Act 1351</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the Parliament of England wherethrough, according to William Blackstone, common law treason offences were enumerated and no new offences were, by statute, created. It is one of the earliest English statutes still in force, although it has been very significantly amended. It was extended to Ireland in 1495 and to Scotland in 1708. The Act was passed at Westminster in the Hilary term of 1351, in the 25th year of the reign of Edward III and was entitled "A Declaration which Offences shall be adjudged Treason". It was passed to clarify precisely what was treason, as the definition under common law had been expanded rapidly by the courts until its scope was controversially wide. The Act was last used to prosecute William Joyce in 1945 for collaborating with Germany in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offences Against the Person Act 1861</span> UK criminal statute

The Offences against the Person Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to offences against the person from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act. For the most part these provisions were, according to the draftsman of the Act, incorporated with little or no variation in their phraseology. It is one of a group of Acts sometimes referred to as the Criminal Law Consolidation Acts 1861. It was passed with the object of simplifying the law. It is essentially a revised version of an earlier consolidation act, the Offences Against the Person Act 1828, incorporating subsequent statutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Act of Uniformity 1548</span> United Kingdom law of religion

The Act of Uniformity 1548, the Act of Uniformity 1549, the Uniformity Act 1548, or the Act of Equality was an act of the Parliament of England, passed on 21 January 1549.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malicious Damage Act 1861</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Malicious Damage Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to malicious damage from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act. For the most part these provisions were, according to the draftsman of the Act, incorporated with little or no variation in their phraseology. It is one of a group of Acts sometimes referred to as the Criminal Law Consolidation Acts 1861. It was passed with the object of simplifying the law. It is essentially a revised version of an earlier consolidation Act, the Malicious Injuries to Property Act 1827, incorporating subsequent statutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy Act 1698</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Piracy Act 1698 was an Act of the Parliament of England passed in the eleventh year of King William III. The main purpose behind the statute was to make some corrections to the Offences at Sea Act 1536.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy Act 1717</span> Act of the Parliament of Great Britain

The Piracy Act 1717, sometimes called the Transportation Act 1717, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that established a regulated, bonded system to transport criminals to colonies in North America for indentured service, as a punishment for those convicted or attainted in Great Britain, excluding Scotland. The Act established a seven-year transportation sentence as a punishment for people convicted of lesser felonies, and a fourteen-year sentence for more serious crimes, in lieu of capital punishment. Completion of the sentence had the effect of a pardon; the punishment for returning before completion was death. It is commonly accepted that 30,000 convicts may have been transported to the British American colonies, with some estimates going as high as 50,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy Act 1837</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Piracy Act 1837 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It abolished the death penalty for most offences of piracy, but created a new offence often known as piracy with violence, which was punishable with death. This offence still exists in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, but is no longer punishable by death in either country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offences Against the Person Act 1828</span> Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Offences Against the Person Act 1828, also known as Lord Lansdowne's Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated for England and Wales provisions in the law related to offences against the person from a number of earlier piecemeal statutes into a single act. Among the laws it replaced was clause XXVI of Magna Carta, the first time any part of Magna Carta was repealed, and the Buggery Act 1533. The act also abolished the crime of petty treason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Official Secrets Act 1920</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Official Secrets Act 1920 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accessories and Abettors Act 1861</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 is a mainly repealed Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated statutory English criminal law related to accomplices, including many classes of encouragers (inciters). Mainly its offences were, according to the draftsman of the Act, replacement enactments with little or no variation in phraseology. It is one of a group of Acts sometimes referred to as the Criminal Law Consolidation Acts 1861. It was passed with the object of simplifying the law. It collected the relevant parts of Peel's Acts and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797 was an Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. The Act was passed in the aftermath of the Spithead and Nore mutinies and aimed to prevent the seduction of sailors and soldiers to commit mutiny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is still in force. It codifies the law relating to offences committed in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom, including crimes committed on foreign ships. Under section 7 of the Act, the applicable law is the law of England and Wales, even if the offence is committed off the coast of Scotland or Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punishment of Offences Act 1837</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Punishment of Offences Act 1837 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It abolished the death penalty for a number of statutory offences and replaced it with transportation for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminal Law Act 1826</span> Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Criminal Law Act 1826 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated a large number of acts relating to criminal procedure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy Act 1850</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Piracy Act 1850, sometimes called the Pirates Repeal Act 1850, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It relates to proceedings for the condemnation of ships and other things taken from pirates and creates an offence of perjury in such proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminal Justice Administration Act 1851</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Criminal Justice Administration Act 1851 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Offences at Sea Act or Crimes at Sea Act is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom relating to the piracy and other offences within the jurisdiction of the admiralty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magistrates' Courts Act 1952</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Magistrates' Courts Act 1952 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which related to magistrates' courts. It was repealed by section 154 of, and Schedule 9 to, the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genocide Act 1969</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Genocide Act 1969 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave effect to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1948.

References

  1. The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
  2. Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice. 1999. Para 25 - 46 at p 1979.