Perjury Act 1911 Explained

Short Title:	Perjury Act 1911^[1]
Type:	Act
Parliament:	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long Title:	An Act to consolidate and simplify the Law relating to Perjury and kindred offences.
Year:	1911
Statute Book Chapter:	1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 6
Territorial Extent:	England and Wales^[2]
Royal Assent:	29 June 1911
Commencement:	1 January 1912^[3]
Replaces:	Perjury Act 1562, Perjury Act 1728
Status:	amended
Original Text:	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/1-2/6/contents/enacted
Revised Text:	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/1-2/6/contents

The Perjury Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 6) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates the offence of perjury and a number of similar offences.

This Act has effect as if section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 and section 80 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 were contained in this act.^{[4] [5]}

Section 1 - Perjury

This section creates the offence of perjury.

Section 1A - False unsworn statement under Evidence (Proceedings in other Jurisdictions) Act 1975

This section was inserted by section 8(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Evidence (Proceedings in other Jurisdictions) Act 1975. It provides:

This offence is triable either way.^[6] A person guilty of this offence is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to a fine, or to both, or, summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding the prescribed sum, or to both.^[7]

Section 7 - Aiders, abettors, suborners, etc

Section 7(1) is redundant.^[8]

Section 9 - Power to direct a prosecution for perjury

This section was repealed^[9] for England and Wales^[10] on 1 April 1986.^[11]

Section 10 - Jurisdiction of quarter sessions

This section was repealed by section 10(2) of, and Part II of Schedule 3 to, the Criminal Law Act 1967.

Section 11 - Application of Vexatious Indictments Act 1859

This section was repealed by section 10 of, and Schedule 3 to, the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1933.

Section 13 - Corroboration

This section provides:

The following cases are relevant to the interpretation of this section:

• R v Mayhew (1834) 6 C & P 315
• R v Threlfall, 10 Cr App R 112, 23 Cox 230
• R v O'Connor [1980] Crim LR 43, CA
• R v Rider, 83 Cr App R 207, [1986] Crim LR 626, CA
• R v Stokes [1988] Crim LR 110, CA
• R v Peach [1990] 1 WLR 976, [1990] 2 All ER 966, 91 Cr App R 379, [1990] Crim LR 741, CA
• R v Carroll, 99 Cr App R 381, CA

Section 17 - Repeals

This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1927.

Section 18 - Extent

This section reads:

The reference to Ireland must now be construed as a reference to Northern Ireland.^[12]

Section 19 - Short title and commencement

So much of this section as related commencement was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1927.

Schedule

The Schedule was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1927.

References

• Halsbury's Statutes. Third Edition. Volume 8. Page 240 et seq.
• Hansard

External links

• • The Perjury Act 1911, as amended from the National Archives.
• The Perjury Act 1911, as originally enacted from the National Archives.

Notes and References

1. The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 19 of this Act.
2. The Perjury Act 1911, section 18
3. The Perjury Act 1911, section 19
4. The Criminal Justice Act 1967, section 89(2)
5. The Civil Partnership Act 2004, section 80(4)
6. The Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, section 17(1) and Schedule 1, paragraph 14
7. The Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, section 32(1)
8. Richard Card. . Twelfth Edition. Butterworths. 1992. Paragraph 16.10 at page 373.
9. The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, sections 28 and 31(6) and Schedule 2
10. The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, 31(7)
11. The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Commencement No. 1) Order 1985, article 3 and Schedule 1 and appendix thereto
12. The Irish Free State (Consequential Adaptation of Enactments) Order 1923 (SR&O 1923/405), article 2 (as read with the former section 1 of the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938 and sections 1(1) and (3) of the Ireland Act 1949).