Telecommunications Act 1984

c. 12

44

PART

II

Purchase

of

Duchy of
Lancaster
land.

41. The Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster
may, if they think fit, agree with a public telecommunications
operator for the sale, and absolutely make sale, for such sum of
money as appears to them to be sufficient consideration for the
same, of any land belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Duchy
of Lancaster which the operator seeks to acquire for, or in
connection with, the establishment or running of his system.
Offences

Fraudulent
use

of

telecommunication
system.

42.-(1) A person who dishonestly obtains

a service provided
by means of a licensed telecommunication system with intent to
avoid payment of any charge applicable to the provision of that
service shall be guilty of an offence and liable(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding the
statutory maximum or to both ;
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding two years or to a fine or to both.

(2) In this section " licensed telecommunication system "
means a telecommunication system the running of which is
authorised by a licence granted under section 7 above.
Improper use
of public
telecommunication

43.-(1) A person whoa public telecommunication system,
a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or
of an indecent, obscene or menacing character ; or
(b) sends by those means, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, a
message that he knows to be false or persistently makes
use for that purpose of a public telecommunication

(a) sends, by means of

system.

system,
shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction
to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(2) Subsection (1) above does not apply to anything done
in the course of providing a cable programme service (within the
meaning of Part IV of this Act).

Modification
etc.

of messages.

44.-(1) A person engaged in the running of a public telecommunication system who otherwise than in the course of his
duty intentionally modifies or interferes with the contents of a
message sent by means of that system shall be guilty of an
offence.
(2)

A person guilty of an offence under subsection

shall be

liable-

(1) above

conviction, to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding
the statutory maximum or to both ;

(a) on summary

Select target paragraph3