Theft Act 1968

1. Introductory Text

2. Definition of “theft”

   1. 1. Basic definition of theft.

   2. 2. “Dishonestly”

   3. 3. “Appropriates”.

   4. 4. “Property”.

   5. 5. “Belonging to another”.

   6. 6. “With the intention of permanently depriving the other of it”.

3. Theft, robbery, burglary, etc.

   1. 7. Theft.

   2. 8. Robbery.

   3. 9. Burglary.

   4. 10. Aggravated burglary.

   5. 11. Removal of articles from places open to the public.

   6. 12. Taking motor vehicle or other conveyance without authority.

   7. 12A. Aggravated vehicle-taking.

   8. 13. Abstracting of electricity.

   9. 14. Extension to thefts from mails outside England and Wales, and robbery etc. on such a theft.

4. Fraud and blackmail

   1. 15. Obtaining property by deception.

   2. 15A. Obtaining a money transfer by deception.

   3. 15B. Section 15A: supplementary.

   4. 16. Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.

   5. 17. False accounting.

   6. 18. Liability of company officers for certain offences by company.

   7. 19. False statements by company directors, etc.

   8. 20. Suppression, etc. of documents.

   9. 21. Blackmail.

5. Offences relating to goods stolen etc.

   1. 22. Handling stolen goods.

   2. 23. Advertising rewards for return of goods stolen or lost.

   3. 24. Scope of offences relating to stolen goods.

   4. 24A. Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit.

6. Possession of housebreaking implements, etc.

   1. 25. Going equipped for stealing, etc.

7. Enforcement and procedure

   1. 26. Search for stolen goods.

   2. 27. Evidence and procedure on charge of theft or handling stolen goods.

   3. 28. Orders for restitution.

   4. 29. Jurisdiction of quarter sessions, and summary trial.

8. General and consequential provisions

   1. 30. Spouses and civil partners

   2. 31. Effect on civil proceedings and rights.

   3. 32. Effect on existing law and construction of references to offences.

   4. 33. Miscellaneous and consequential amendments, and repeal.

9. Supplementary

   1. 34. Interpretation.

   2. 35. Commencement and transitional provisions.

   3. 36. Short title, and general provisions as to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

10. SCHEDULES

    1. SCHEDULE 1

       Offences of Taking, etc. Deer or Fish

       1. 1. . . . . . . . . . ....

       2. 2. Taking or destroying fish

    2. SCHEDULE 2

       Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments

       1. Part I

          1. 1. The Post Office Act 1953 shall have effect subject to...

          2. 2. Sections 22 and 23 shall be amended by substituting for...

          3. 3. In section 52, as it applies outside England and Wales,...

          4. 4. In section 53 for the words from “be guilty” onwards...

          5. 5. In section 54, as it applies outside England and Wales,—...

          6. 6. In sections 55 and 58(1), after the word “imprisonment”, there...

          7. 7. In section 57— (a) there shall be omitted the words...

          8. 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

          9. 9. Section 69(2) shall be omitted.

          10. 10. For section 70 there shall be substituted the following section—...

          11. 11. In section 72 there shall be added as a new...

          12. 12. In section 87(1), the definition of “valuable security” shall be...

       2. PART II Other amendments extending beyond England and Wales

       3. PART III Amendments limited to England and Wales

    3. SCHEDULE 3

       Repeals

       1. Part I Penal Enactments superseded by this Act

       2. Part II Obsolete and Redundant Enactments

       3. Part III Consequential Repeals