Offences and penalties

9.—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—

(a)he intentionally obstructs an authorised person (or person accompanying him and acting under his instructions) in the exercise of a power conferred by regulation 7; or

(b)without reasonable cause, he fails to comply with a request made under regulation 8.

(2) Nothing in paragraph (1)(b) is to be construed as requiring any person to answer any question if to do so might incriminate him.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(4) Where a body corporate is guilty of an offence under these Regulations, and that offence is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of—

(a)any director, manager, secretary or other similar person of the body corporate; or

(b)any person purporting to act in such capacity;

he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of an offence.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (4), “director”, in relation to a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means a member of the body corporate.