(1)Any person who—
(a)as a pledge or a 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,
receives, detains or has in his possession 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 air-force service shall be guilty of an offence against this section.
(2)Any 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 air forces or any member thereof, shall be guilty of an offence against this section.
(3)Any 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 purposes 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)This section shall have effect in the United Kingdom and in 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: 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