(1)Every person who receives, detains or has in his possession—
(a)as a pledge or as security for a debt; or
(b)with a view to obtaining payment from the person entitled thereto of a debt due either to himself or to any other person,
any official document issued in connection with the payment to any person of any pay, pension, allowance, gratuity or other payment payable in respect of his or any other person’s service in Her Majesty’s naval forces shall be guilty of an offence against this section.
(2)Every person who has in his possession without lawful authority or excuse (the proof whereof shall lie on him) any such document as aforesaid, or any official document issued in connection with the mobilisation or demobilisation of any of Her Majesty’s naval forces or any member thereof, shall be guilty of an offence against this section.
(3)A person guilty of an offence against this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F1level 3 on the standard scale] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both such a fine and such imprisonment.
(4)For the purpose of this section a document shall be deemed to be in the possession of a person if he has it under his control, and whether he has it for his own use or benefit or for the use or benefit of another.
(5)References in this section to Her Majesty’s naval forces include references to the naval forces of any Commonwealth country or raised under the law of any colony.
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), ss. 289F, 289G and (N.I.) S.I. 1984/703 (N.I. 3), arts. 5, 6
Textual Amendments applied to the whole legislation
F2Act repealed (prosp.) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), ss. 378, 383, Sch. 17 and the repeal being partly in force, as to which see individual provisions