See Prostitution.

PROCURATION.

By s. 2 of 48-9 V. 69, the Criminal Law Amendment A. 1885, as amended by 2-3 G. 5, 20, 2: Any person who

(1) Procures or attempts to procure any girl or woman under twentyone years of age, not being a common prostitute, or of known immoral character, to have unlawful carnal connexion, either within or without the Queen's dominions, with any other person or persons; or

(2) Procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to become, either within or without the Queen's dominions, a common prostitute; or

(3) Procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to leave the United Kingdom, with intent that she may become an inmate of or frequent a brothel elsewhere; or

(4) Procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to leave her usual place of abode in the United Kingdom (such place not being a brothel), with intent that she may, for the purposes of prostitution, become an inmate of or frequent a brothel within or without the Queen's dominions,

shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and being convicted thereof, shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.

Provided that no person shall be convicted of any offence under this section upon the evidence of one witness, unless such witness be corroborated in some material particular by evidence implicating the accused.'

By s. 3: Any person who

(1) By threats or intimidation procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to have any unlawful carnal connexion, either within or without the Queen's dominions; or

(2) By false pretences or false representations procures any woman or girl, not being a common prostitute or of known immoral character, to have any unlawful carnal connexion, either within or without the Queen's dominions; or

(3) Applies, administers to, or causes to be taken by any woman or girl any drug, matter, or thing, with intent to stupefy or overpower so as thereby to enable any person to have unlawful carnal connexion with such woman or girl, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and being convicted thereof shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.

Provided that no person shall be convicted of an offence under this section upon the evidence of one witness only, unless such witness be corroborated in some material particular by evidence implicating the accused.'

Punishment] By s. 3 of 2-3 G. 5, 20, a male may in addition 'be sentenced to be privately whipped, and the number of strokes

and the instrument with which they shall be inflicted shall be specified by the court in the sentence.'

A brothel-keeper received a girl brought to her by her co-defendant and shared the girl's money with the girl, but she in no way persuaded her to frequent the house, as she did frequently of her own freewill, living at home; finally she became a common prostitute. Bosanquet C.S. directed an acquittal, saying, 'The girl wanted no procuring at all. It must be real procuration. The Act is not aimed at brothel-keepers. It is aimed at people who get girls by some fraud or persuasion or by inviting them to do it if they cannot get money in any other way-turning them on to the streets.' Helen Christian and another, 23 Cox C. C. 541, 1913. Defendant pleaded guilty to an indictment under 2-3 G. 5, 20, 7 (4), and to keeping a disorderly house.

'Under twenty-one'] This need not be averred in the indictment: a girl' is enough. S. Jones, 6 Cr. A. R. 290, 1911.

'Any other person'] Hence, not the procurer. such an attempt quashed. C., 74 J. P. 208, 1910.

Indictment for

Conspiracy] But the actual procurer may be guilty of conspiring with others to procure for one of them; following_Whitchurch, 1890; Elizabeth Mackenzie and George Higginson, 75 J. P. 159; 27 T. L. R. 152; 6 Cr. A. R. 64, 1910: former convicted of procuration and conspiracy, the latter of aiding, &c. and conspiring with her, of common law conspiracy and of indecent assault. It is possible that the common law conspiracy counts were bad, but the court declined to throw any doubt on the conspiring to procure the defilement of a girl being a common law offence.

Corroboration] This was supplied by the girl's going to lodgings provided by defendant, though there was no evidence of improper conduct between them. C. Cohen, 3 Cr. A. R. 234, 1909. See also Mash v. Darley, where the only corroboration offered by the prosecutrix was evidence of another crime-viz. rape c. q.: the corroboration must implicate the accused in respect of the offence charged; when that fails it is wholly immaterial that there is corroboration of other portions of her evidence.' M. Goldstein, 11 Cr. A. R. 27, 1914.

Venue] Procuring is a continuous offence; if the actual connection takes place in England, though the procuring is in Scotland, there is jurisdiction here. Mackenzie and Higginson, above.

PROFANITY.

See Blasphemy.

PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT.

See Disqualification in Index.

PROPERTY, OFFENCES AGAINST.

See Index.

PROSPECTUS, OFFENCES IN RESPECT OF.
See Companies.

PROSTITUTION, ENCOURAGING AND LIVING ON THE EARNINGS OF.

The physical element in prostitution, under the statutes, need not be normal connection: de Munck, 13 Cr. A. R. 113, 1918.

See Living on Immoral Earnings and Soliciting, I. 2.

An indictment charging the offence for one day is good; and the ordinary rule of evidence on Similar Acts-which title see-applies. Hill and Churchman, 1914, 2 K. B. 386; 83 L. J. K. B. 820; 24 Cox C. C. 150; 78 J. P. 303; 110 L. T. 831; 10 Cr. A. R. 56. Triable at Q. S. Ib.

PUBLIC MEETING, DISORDERLY CONDUCT AT,

'for the purpose of preventing the transaction of the business for which the meeting was called together,' and incitement thereto, are, by 8 E. 7, 66, summarily punishable; and when the meeting is 'political, in a parliamentary constituency,' during an election, they are illegal practices within 46-7 V. 51, and so may be, by s. 52, found on indictment for a corrupt practice.

PUBLIC OFFICER, OFFENCES BY.
See Office-Holders.

PUBLIC OFFICES, SALE OF.

See Offices.

PUBLIC WORSHIP, DISTURBING.
See Disturbing, &c.

PUBLICATION, OFFENCES BY.

See Index.

RAILWAYS-OFFENCES RELATING TO.

Signing false statements, &c.] Delivering mortgage deeds, bonds or certificates without a statutory declaration, or signing false declarations, &c., are offences by directors or officers within 29-30 V. 108, 15, 16 (amended 1-2 G. 5, 34), 17 (amended 1-2 G. 5, 6). Offences under s. 16 are no longer indictable.

Misconduct of servants] By 3-4 V. 97, 13, 14, there is power for duly authorised officials, &c., to arrest summarily employees, drunk, negligent, acting recklessly, &c., and to indict them at Q. S.: maximum punishment, two years' imp. w. h. 1.

Endangering safety] By 24-5 V. 100, 32: 'Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously put or throw upon or across any railway any wood, stone, or other matter or thing, or shall unlawfully and maliciously take up, remove, or displace any rail, sleeper, or other matter or thing belonging to any railway, or shall unlawfully and maliciously turn, move, or divert any points or other machinery belonging to any railway, or shall unlawfully and maliciously make or show, hide or remove any signal or light upon or near to any railway, or shall unlawfully and maliciously do or cause to be done any other matter or thing, with intent, in any of the cases aforesaid, to endanger the safety of any person travelling or being upon such railway, shall be guilty of felony'; maximum punishment, penal servitude for life; a male under the age of sixteen years may also be whipped.

By s. 33: Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously throw, or cause to fall or strike, at, against, into, or upon any engine, tender, carriage, or truck used upon any railway, any wood, stone, or other matter or thing with intent to injure or endanger the safety of any person being in or upon such engine, tender, carriage, or truck, or in or upon any other engine, tender, carriage, or truck of any train of which such first-mentioned engine, tender, carriage, or truck shall form part, shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable' as in s. 32, above, except the whipping.

By s. 34: Whosoever, by any unlawful act, or by any wilful omission or neglect, shall endanger or cause to be endangered the safety of any person conveyed or being in or upon a railway, or shall aid or assist therein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour '; maximum punishment, imprisonment for two years w. h. 1.

Obstructing, &c. the line] By 24-5 V. 97, 35: Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously put, place, cast, or throw upon or across any railway, any wood, stone, or other matter or thing, or shall unlawfully and maliciously take up, remove, or displace any rail, sleeper, or other matter or thing belonging to any railway, or shall unlawfully or maliciously turn, move, or divert any points or other machinery belonging to any railway, or shall unlawfully and maliciously make or show, hide or remove, any signal or light upon or near to any railway, or shall unlawfully and maliciously do or cause to be done any other matter or thing, with intent, in any of the cases aforesaid, to obstruct, upset, overthrow, injure, or destroy any engine, tender, carriage, or truck, using such railway, shall be guilty of felony'; maximum punishment, exactly as in s. 32, above. Not triable at Q. S.