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Section 55 Fraudulent retention of mail bag or postal packet.C3C1C2

United Kingdom

Any person who fraudulently retains, or wilfully secretes or keeps, or detains, or who, when required by F1a person engaged in the business of the Post Office, neglects or refuses to deliver up—

(a)

any postal packet which is in course of transmission by post and which ought to have been delivered to any other person; or

(b)

any postal packet in course of transmission by post or any mail bag which has been found by him or by any other person,

shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and be liable to a fine and to imprisonment F2for a term not exceeding two years.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

Words substituted by virtue of Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(1)

F2

Words inserted by Theft Act 1968 (c. 60), Sch. 2 Pt. I para. 6

Modifications

C1

S. 53 amended as to mode of trial by S.I. 1981/1675 (N.I. 26), arts. 45(1), 46(3) (as substituted by S.I. 1986/1883 (N.I. 15), art. 3(2), Sch. 2

C2

S. 55 amended by S.I. 1981/1675, (N.I. 26), Sch. 2 para. 8

C3

S. 53 amended as to mode of trial (E.W.) by Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43, SIF 82), s. 17, Sch. 1 para. 22

Notes on the whole Act

Textual amendments

F1

Act repealed (1.1.2001 for ss. 29, 44, 45, and 26.3.2001 otherwise) by 2000 c. 26, ss. 127(6), 130(1), Sch. 9 Note; S.I. 2000/2957, art. 2(2), Sch. 2 Table; S.I. 2001/878, art. 2, Sch. Table (subject to transitional and saving provisions in arts. 3-17); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2(2), Sch. Table (subject to arts. 3-42)