197 Unauthorised use of and dealing in decorations, etc.F3U.K.
(1)Any person who, in the United Kingdom or in any colony,—
(a)without authority uses or wears any military decoration, or any badge, wound stripe or emblem suppliedor authorised by [F1the Defence Council], or
(b)uses or wears any decoration, badge, wound stripe, or emblem so nearly resembling any militarydecoration, or any such badge, stripe or emblem as aforesaid, as to be calculated to deceive, or
(c)falsely represents himself to be a person who is or has been entitled to use or wear any suchdecoration, badge, stripe or emblem as is mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection,
shall be guilty of an offence against this section:
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the use or wearing of ordinary regimentalbadges or of brooches or ornaments representing them.
(2)Any person who purchases or takes in pawn any naval, military or air-force decoration awarded to anymember of Her Majesty’s military forces, or solicits or procures any person to sell or pledge any suchdecoration, or acts for any person in the sale or pledging thereof, shall be guilty of an offence againstthis section unless he proves that at the time of the alleged offence the person to whom the decoration wasawarded was dead or had ceased to be a member of those forces.
(3)Any person guilty of an offence against this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a finenot exceeding [F2level 3 on the standard scale] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both such a fine and such imprisonment.
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by S.I. 1964/488, Sch. 1 Pt. I
F2Words 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
F3Act: the provisions of the 1955 Acts providing for findings of courts-martial to be subject to confirmation and to revision at the direction of the confirming officer cease to have effect (1.4.1997 subject to art. 3 of the commencing S.I.) by virtue of 1996 c. 46, s. 15; S.I. 1997/304, arts. 2, 3, Sch. 2