The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment) Order 2016

Statutory Instruments

2016 No. 803

Criminal Law, England And Wales

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment) Order 2016

Made

21st July 2016

Coming into force in accordance with article 1

The Secretary of State makes the following Order in exercise of the power conferred by section 141(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988(1).

In accordance with section 141(11E) of that Act(2), a draft of this Order was laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment) Order 2016 and comes into force on the twenty-eighth day after the day on which it is made.

(2) This Order extends to England and Wales.

Amendment of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988

2.—(1) The Schedule to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988(3) (which specifies offensive weapons for the purposes of section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 1, after sub-paragraph (r) insert—

“(s) the weapon sometimes known as a “zombie knife”, “zombie killer knife” or “zombie slayer knife”, being a blade with—

(i) a cutting edge;

(ii) a serrated edge; and

(iii) images or words (whether on the blade or handle) that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence.”.

Sarah Newton

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Home Office

21st July 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (“section 141”) provides that any person who manufactures, sells or hires or offers for sale or hire, exposes or has in his possession for the purpose of sale or hire, or lends or gives to any other person, a weapon to which that section applies shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine or both. The importation of any such weapon is prohibited.

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 (the “1988 Order”) specifies descriptions of weapons to which section 141 applies. This Order adds the weapon known as a zombie knife, zombie killer knife or zombie slayer knife to the list of specified weapons contained in the 1988 Order.

(1)

1988 c. 33.

(2)

Section 141(11E) is inserted in relation to England and Wales by section 43(4) of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (c. 38).

(3)

S.I. 1988/2019, amended by S.I. 2002/1668, 2004/1271 and 2008/973; there are other amending instruments but none is relevant.