Part V General Provisions

Offences relating to air-force matters punishable by civil courts

197 Unauthorised use of and dealing in decorations, etc.

1

Any person who, in the United Kingdom or in any colony,—

a

without authority uses or wears any air-force decoration, or any badge, wound stripe or emblem supplied or authorised by F2the Defence Council, or

b

uses or wears any decoration, badge, wound stripe, or emblem so nearly resembling any air-force decoration, 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 such decoration, 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 regimental badges or of brooches or ornaments representing them.

2

Any person who purchases or takes in pawn any air-force, naval or military decoration awarded to any member of Her Majesty’s air forces, or solicits or procures any person to sell or pledge any such decoration, or acts for any person in the sale or pledging thereof, shall be guilty of an offence against this section unless he proves that at the time of the alleged offence the person to whom the decoration was awarded 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 fine not exceeding F3level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both such a fine and such imprisonment.