Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997

Abduction of child by other persons.

17

17.(1) A person, other than a person to whom section 16 applies, shall be guilty of an offence who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, intentionally takes or detains a child under the age of 16 years or causes a child under that age to be so taken or detained—

(a) so as to remove the child from the lawful control of any person having lawful control of the child; or

(b) so as to keep him or her out of the lawful control of any person entitled to lawful control of the child.

(2) It shall be a defence to a charge under this section that the defendant believed that the child had attained the age of 16 years.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both, or

(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.

Annotations:

Editorial Notes:

E26

A fine of £1,500 converted (1.01.1999) to €1,904.61. This translates into a class C fine not greater than €2,500 as provided (4.01.2011) by Fines Act 2010 (8/2010), ss. 3, 6(2) and table ref. no. 1, S.I. No. 662 of 2010.