List of English criminal offences explained

This list of English criminal offences is a partial categorization of English criminal law offences.

Offences against the person

See main article: Offence against the person.

Offences against property

See main article: Property crime and Criminal Damage in English law.

See also: Burglary.

• Offences under the Explosive Substances Act 1883
• Offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990

Firearms and offensive weapons

See also: Gun law, Gun politics in the United Kingdom and Offensive weapon.

• Offences under section 1(1) of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953
• Offences under sections 139 and 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988
• Offences under the Knives Act 1997

Forgery, personation and cheating

See forgery:

• Offences under Part I of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981
• Falsification of pedigree, contrary to section 183(1)(b) of the Law of Property Act 1925
• Improper alteration of the registers, contrary to section 124 of the Land Registration Act 2002
• Offences under section 8 of the Non-Parochial Registers Act 1840
• Offences under sections 36 and 37 of the Forgery Act 1861
• Forgery of passport, contrary to section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925
• Offences under sections 133 and 135 of the County Courts Act 1984
• Offences under section 13 of the Stamp Duties Management Act 1891; and supplementary offences under sections 14 and 15
• Offences under section 6 of the Hallmarking Act 1973
• Offences under section 126 of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Offences under sections 121 and 122(6) of the Gun Barrel Proof Act 1868

Motor vehicle document offences:

• Offences under section 97AA and 99(5) of the Transport Act 1968
• Offences under section 65 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981
• Offences under section 115 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
• Offences under section 173 of the Road Traffic Act 1988
• Offences under regulations 11(1) to (3) of the Motor Vehicles (E.C. Type Approval) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3107) made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972
• Offences under section 44 of the Vehicles Excise and Registration Act 1994
• Offences under regulations 10(1) to (3) the Motor Cycle (E.C. Type Approval) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/1531) made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972
• Offences under section 38 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995

See personation:

• Personation of a juror
• Offences under section 90(1) of the Police Act 1996
• Offences under section 30(1) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005
• Offences under section 34 of the Forgery Act 1861
• Offences under section 24 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969
• Offences under section 60 of the Representation of the People Act 1983

See cheating:

• Offences under section 17 of the Gaming Act 1845
• Offences under section 1 of the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951

Offences against the state

• High treason
• Misprision of treason
• Compounding treason
• Treason felony
• Attempting to injure or alarm the Sovereign, contrary to section 2 of the Treason Act 1842
• Contempt of the sovereign
• Trading with the enemy
• Offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989
• Offences under the Incitement to Disaffection Act 1934
• Causing disaffection, contrary to section 91 of the Police Act 1996
• Causing disaffection, contrary to section 6 of the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987
• Incitement to sedition or disaffection or promoting industrial unrest, contrary to section 3 of the Aliens Restriction (Amendment) Act 1919
• Offences of procuring and assisting desertion under military law
• Offences relating to terrorism
• Offences of directing quasi military organizations and wearing uniforms for political purposes under the Public Order Act 1936
• Piracy iure gentium
• Piracy with violence, contrary to the Piracy Act 1837
• Offences under the Slave Trade Act 1824
• Offences under the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870
• Offences under the Immigration Act 1971
• Coinage offences under Part II of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981
• Offences relating to public stores under the Public Stores Act 1875
• Offences relating to military stores under military law
• Offences against postal and electronic communication services
• Misconduct in public office
• Refusal to execute public office
• Offences of selling public offices under the Sale of Offices Act 1551 and Sale of Offices Act 1809
• Purchasing the office of clerk of the peace or under-sheriff, contrary to section 27 of the Sheriffs Act 1887
• Cheating the public revenue
• Offences under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979
• Tax evasion and money laundering offences

See also Offences against military law in the United Kingdom

Harmful or dangerous drugs

• Offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, the Licensing Act 2003, section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and other provisions relating to tobacco, and the Drug Trafficking Act 1994.
• Offences under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Offences against religion and public worship

• Offences under sections 75 to 77 of the Marriage Act 1949

Offences of disturbing public worship

• Offences under section 2 of the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860
• Offences under section 7 of the Burial Laws Amendment Act 1880
• Offences under section 59 of the Cemeteries Clauses Act 1847
• Offences under articles 18 and 19 of the Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977 (SI 1977/204)

Offences against the administration of public justice

• Doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice - a.k.a. perverting the course of justice, defeating the ends of justice, obstructing the administration of justice
• Concealing evidence, contrary to section 5(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1967
• Contempt of court a.k.a. criminal contempt
• Intimidation, contrary to section 51(1) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
• Taking or threatening to take revenge, contrary to section 51(2) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
• Perjury, contrary to section 1 of the Perjury Act 1911
• Perjury, contrary to section 6 of the Piracy Act 1850
• Offences under sections 2 to 4 of the Perjury Act 1911
• Making a false statutory declaration, contrary to section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911
• Offences under section 6 of the Perjury Act 1911
• Fabrication of false evidence
• Offences under section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967
• Offences under 106 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980
• Offences under section 11(1) of the European Communities Act 1972
• Escape
• Permitting an escape
• Assisting a prisoner to escape, contrary to section 39 of the Prison Act 1952
• Breach of prison/breaking prison
• Rescue/rescuing a prisoner in custody
• Harboring an escaped prisoner, contrary to section 22(2) of the Prison Act 1952
• Taking part in a prison mutiny, contrary to section 1(1) of the Prison Security Act 1992
• Offences under section 128 of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Causing a wasteful employment of the police, contrary to section 5(2) of the Criminal Law Act 1967
• Administering an unlawful oath, contrary to section 13 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835

Public order offences

See also: Drug crime, Prostitution and Disorderly conduct.

• Offences under the Public Order Act 1986
• Offences under section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Offences under Part V of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
• Offences under Part II of the Criminal Law Act 1977
• Offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977
• Bomb hoaxes, contrary to section 51 of the Criminal Law Act 1977

Offences against public morals and public policy

• Bigamy, contrary to section 57 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861

See also: Obscenity and Indecency.

• Offences under section 2(1) of the Obscene Publications Act 1959
• Offences under section 2(2) of the Theatres Act 1968
• Certain offences under the Postal Services Act 2000
• Offences under section 1(1) of the Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981
• Offences under section 1(1) of the Protection of Children Act 1978
• Offences under section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988
• Offences under section 170 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 consisting of importation in breach of the prohibition under section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 36)
• Offences under the Bribery Act 2010

Protection of children and vulnerable adults

• Child sexual exploitation
• Child trafficking
• Protection of Children Act 1978
• Offenses under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Protection of animals and the environment

See Cruelty to animals#United Kingdom and Environmental crime

• Offenses under the Animal Welfare Act 2006
• Mutilation
• Docking (animal)
• Animal fighting

Road traffic and motor vehicle offences

See main article: United Kingdom traffic laws.

Participatory and inchoate offences

See also: Accomplice, Aid and abet, Inchoate offenses and Inchoate offences in English law.

• Encouraging or assisting crime - Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007
• Soliciting to murder, contrary to section 4 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861
• Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of an offence
• Conspiracy, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977
• Conspiracy to defraud
• Conspiracy to corrupt public morals
• Conspiracy to outrage public decency
• Attempt, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981

Parts 1 to 3 of Schedule 3 to the Serious Crime Act 2007 list numerous statutory offences of assisting, encouraging, inciting, attempting or conspiring at the commission of various crimes.

Other

• Mayhem
• Kidnapping
• False imprisonment
• Cheating the public revenue
• High treason
• Misprision of treason (disputed - alleged to be statutory)
• Compounding treason
• Contempt of the sovereign
• Misconduct in public office
• Refusal to execute public office
• Doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice - a.k.a. perverting the course of justice, defeating the ends of justice, obstructing the administration of justice
• Contempt of court a.k.a. criminal contempt
• Fabrication of false evidence
• Escape
• Permitting an escape
• Breach of prison/breaking prison
• Rescue/rescuing a prisoner in custody
• Public nuisance
• Outraging public decency
• Conspiracy to defraud
• Conspiracy to corrupt public morals
• Conspiracy to outrage public decency
• Common assault aka assault (disputed - held to now be statutory, said obiter not to be)
• battery (disputed - held to now be statutory, said obiter not to be)
• Assault with intent to rob (may now be statutory)
• Rape
• Assault with intent to rape (continued existence disputed)

See also

• English criminal law