{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026/section-137",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026/section-137.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2026/20",
  "legislation_title": "Crime and Policing Act 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026",
  "path": "section/137",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "137",
  "heading": "Child abduction",
  "text": "(1) The Child Abduction Act 1984 is amended as set out in subsections (2) to (4).\n(2) In section 1 (offence of abduction of child by parent etc)—\n(a) after subsection (1) insert—\n“(1A) Subject to subsections (5) and (8), a person connected with a child under the age of sixteen commits an offence if—\n(a) the child is taken or sent out of the United Kingdom with the appropriate consent, and\n(b) at any time after the child is taken or sent, the person detains the child outside the United Kingdom without the appropriate consent.”;\n(b) in subsection (4)—\n(i) in the words before paragraph (a), after “United Kingdom” insert “, or by detaining a child outside the United Kingdom,”;\n(ii) in each of paragraphs (a) and (b), after “United Kingdom” insert “, or detains the child outside the United Kingdom,”;\n(c) in subsection (4A), after “United Kingdom” insert “, or detaining the child outside the United Kingdom,”;\n(d) in subsection (5A), in paragraph (b) after “out of the United Kingdom” insert “, or detaining the child outside the United Kingdom,”.\n(3) In section 11 (consequential amendments and repeals), in subsection (3) for “section 1 above” substitute “section 1(1) above”.\n(4) In the Schedule (modifications of section 1 for children in certain cases), in each of the following provisions after “subsection (1)” insert “or (1A)”—\n(a) paragraph 1(2)(a);\n(b) paragraph 2(2)(a);\n(c) paragraph 3(2)(a).\n(5) The amendments made by this section apply only in cases where the taking or sending of the child out of the United Kingdom takes place on or after the date on which this section comes into force.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": "prospective",
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 137 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 255(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "coming into force",
      "affecting": "uksi/2026/1090",
      "affecting_title": "The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2026"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/137",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:58.060228+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}