Report No. 109

Chapter 3

The Law in England

3.1. The common Law.-

At common law,1 it is an indictable offence, punishable by fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court, to say or do or exhibit anything in public which outrages public decency, whether or not it tends to deprave or corrupt those who see it. There are, however, restrictions on prosecutions for this common law offence.

1. Halsbury's, 4th Edn., Vol. 11 (Criminal Law), p. 587, paras. 10-26.