Offences at Sea Act 1799
Encyclopedia
The Offences at Sea Act 1799 (39 Geo III c.37) is an Act
of the Parliament of Great Britain
. The long title
of the Act is "An Act for remedying certain Defects in the Law respecting Offences committed upon the High Seas." It is still in force. It extended the jurisdiction of British courts to crimes committed by British subjects on the high seas. It does not apply to foreign citizens. (However crimes committed by foreigners in British territorial waters
, or on board British ships on the high seas, can be prosecuted in British courts.)
Jurisdiction over piracy
on the high seas already existed before 1799, whether committed by British subjects or not.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
. The long title
Long title
The long title is the formal title appearing at the head of a statute or other legislative instrument...
of the Act is "An Act for remedying certain Defects in the Law respecting Offences committed upon the High Seas." It is still in force. It extended the jurisdiction of British courts to crimes committed by British subjects on the high seas. It does not apply to foreign citizens. (However crimes committed by foreigners in British territorial waters
Territorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
, or on board British ships on the high seas, can be prosecuted in British courts.)
Jurisdiction over piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
on the high seas already existed before 1799, whether committed by British subjects or not.
Text
The unrepealed text of the Act reads:See also
- Offences at Sea ActOffences at Sea ActOffences at Sea Act is a stock short title used for legislation in New Zealand and the United Kingdom relating to the piracy and other offences within the jurisdiction of the admiralty.-United Kingdom:...
- Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878The Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The long title of the Act is "An Act to regulate the law relating to the Trial of Offences committed on the Sea within a certain distance of the Coasts of Her Majesty’s Dominions." It is still in force...
- Piracy Act 1837Piracy Act 1837The Piracy Act 1837 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It abolished the death penalty for most offences of piracy, but created a new offence often known as piracy with violence, which was punishable with death...