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SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH ACT 1885 - SECT 3

Punishment for violation of Article 2 of Convention.

3.(1) A person shall not unlawfully and wilfully, or by culpable negligence,
break or injure any submarine cable to which the Convention for the time being
applies, in such manner as might interrupt or obstruct in whole or in part
telegraphic communication.

(2) Any person who acts or attempts to act in contravention of this section
shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and on conviction

(a)if he acted wilfully, shall be liable to penal servitude for a term not
exceeding five years, or to imprisonment,... for a term not exceeding two
years, and to a fine either in lieu of or in addition to such penal servitude
or imprisonment; and

(b)if he acted by culpable negligence, shall be liable to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding three months..., and to a fine not exceeding one hundred
pounds either in lieu of or in addition to such imprisonment.

(3) Where a person does any act with the object of preserving the life or limb
of himself or of any other person, or of preserving the vessel to which he
belongs or any other vessel, and takes all reasonable precautions to avoid
injury to a submarine cable, such person shall not be deemed to have acted
unlawfully and wilfully within the meaning of this section.

(4) A person shall not be deemed to have unlawfully and wilfully broken or
injured any submarine cable, where in the bona8 fide attempt to repair another
submarine cable injury has been done to such first-mentioned cable, or the
same has been broken; but this shall not apply so as to exempt such person
from any liability under this Act or otherwise to pay the cost of repairing
such breakage or injury.

(5) Any person who within or (being a subject of Her Majesty) without Her
Majesty's dominions in any manner procures, counsels, aids, abets, or is
accessory to the commission of any offence under this section, shall be guilty
of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be tried and punished for the
offence as if he had been guilty as a principal.

S.4 rep. by 1886 c.3 s.3


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© 1885 Crown Copyright

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