Children liable to be committed to care of relative, etc.

14.(1) Any police officer or person authorized by the Governor in that behalf may bring before a Court any person apparently under the age of fourteen years who-

(a) is found begging or receiving alms (whether or not there is any pretence of singing, playing, performing, offering anything for sale or otherwise), or is found in any street, premises, or place for the purpose of so begging or receiving alms; or

(b) is found wandering having no home or settled place of abode, or visible means of subsistence, or is found wandering having no parent or guardian, or a parent or guardian who does not exercise proper guardianship; or

(c) not being an orphan is found destitute, if his parent or surviving parent, or in the case of an illegitimate child, his mother, are or is undergoing imprisonment; or

(d) is under the care of a parent or guardian who is not exercising proper care and guardianship whereby the child is either falling into bad associations or is exposed to moral danger; or

(e) is lodging or residing in a house or the part of a house used by any prostitute for the purpose of prostitution, or is otherwise living in circumstances calculated to cause, encourage or favor the seduction or prostitution of the child,

and the Court before which a person is brought as coming within one of those descriptions, if satisfied on inquiry of that fact, may order the child to be taken out of the custody, charge, or care of any person, and to be committed to the care of a relative of the child or some other fit person or institution named by the Court (such relative or other person or institution being willing to undertake such care), until the child attains the age of sixteen years, or for any shorter period, and may, in addition to such order or without

making any other order, make an order that the child be placed under the supervision of a probation officer or some other person appointed for the purpose, for a specified period until the child attains the age of sixteen years, or for any shorter period, and the Court may of its own motion, or on the application of any person, from time to time, by order renew, vary or revoke any such order.

(2) Every order made under this section shall be in writing, and any such order may be made by the Court in the absence of the child; and the consent of any person or institution to undertake the care of the child in pursuance of any such order shall be proved in such manner as the Court may think sufficient to bind that person or institution.

(3) Any person or institution to whose care a child is committed under this section shall, whilst the order is in force, have the same right of control over the child as a parent and the child shall continue in the care of such person or institution, notwithstanding that he is claimed by his parent or any other person, and if any person-

(a) knowingly assists or induces, directly or indirectly, a child to escape from the person or institution to whose care he is so committed; or

(b) knowingly harbours, conceals or prevents from returning to such person or institution, a child who has so escaped, or knowingly assists in so doing,

he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £150 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both.

(4) The Governor may at any time in his discretion discharge a child from the care of any person or institution to whose care he is committed in pursuance of this section, either absolutely or on such conditions as the Governor approves.