# Investigatory Powers Act 2016, Section 59: Offence of making unauthorised disclosures


(1) A person who fails to comply with section 57(1) commits an offence.
(2) A person who is guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a) on summary conviction in England and Wales—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court (or 6 months, if the offence was committed before 2 May 2022), or
(ii) to a fine,
or to both;
(b) on summary conviction in Scotland—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or
(ii) to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum,
or to both;
(c) on summary conviction in Northern Ireland—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or
(ii) to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum,
or to both;
(d) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to a fine, or to both.
(3) In proceedings against any person for an offence under this section in respect of any disclosure, it is a defence for the person to show that the person could not reasonably have been expected, after first becoming aware of the matter disclosed, to take steps to prevent the disclosure.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/section/59 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016/section-59
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.