{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/post-office-act-1953-repealed/section-56",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/post-office-act-1953-repealed/section-56.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/36",
  "legislation_title": "Post Office Act 1953 (repealed)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/post-office-act-1953-repealed",
  "path": "section/56",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "56",
  "heading": "Criminal diversion of letters from addressee.",
  "text": "(1) If any person not engaged in the business of the Post Office wilfully and maliciously, with intent to injure any other person, either opens or causes to be opened any postal packet which ought to have been delivered to that other person, or does any act or thing whereby the due delivery of the packet to that other person is prevented or impeded, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both\n(2) Nothing in this section shall apply to a person who does any act to which this section applies where he is parent, or in the position of parent or guardian, of the person to whom the postal packet is addressed.\n(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(4) In this section the expression “postal packet” means a postal packet which is in course of transmission by post or which has been delivered by post.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words substituted by virtue of Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(12)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 56(1) substituted (E.W.) by virtue of Criminal Law Act 1977 c. 45, Sch. 1 para. 10 and by Criminal Justice Act 1982 c. 48, s. 46; and (S.) by virtue of Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 c. 21, ss. 283A, 289A, Sch. 7A (the said amendment being continued in force (S.)(1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, s. 3, Sch. 1 para. 1, Sch. 2 Pt. I); and (N.I.) by 1986/1883 (N.I. 15), art. 4, Sch. 3."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 56(3) repealed by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 8 Pt. II."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 56: Mode of trial specified (S.)(1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 46, ss. 292(1), 309(2), Sch. 10 para. 3 (with s. 24(2))."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 56 amended (N.I.) by S.I. 1981/1675, (N.I. 26), Sch. 2 para. 8."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "S. 56 excluded (E.W.) by Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20, SIF 85), s. 134(9) and (S.) by Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 36, SIF 85), s. 115(9)."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "S. 56 excluded by S.I. 1986/595 (N.I. 4), art. 16(8)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/36/section/56",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:16:39.685380+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."
}