PART X PREVENTION OF CRUELTY, NEGLECT AND EXPOSURE TO MORAL AND PHYSICAL DANGER
Cruelty to persons under sixteen

54.-(1) If any person who has attained the age of sixteen years and has the custody, charge or care of any child under that age, wilfully assaults, ill-treats, neglects, abandons or exposes him or causes or procures him to be assaulted, ill-treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to health (including injury to or loss of sight, or hearing, or limp or organ of the body and any mental derangement) that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding £1000 or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(2) For the purposes of this section-

(a) a parent or other person legally liable to maintain a child shall be deemed to have neglected him in a manner likely to cause injury to his health if he has failed to provide adequate food, clothing, medical aid or lodging for him or if, having been unable otherwise to provide such food, clothing or medical aid, he failed to take other steps to procure it;

(b) where it is proved that the death of an infant under three years of age was cause by suffocation (not being suffocation caused by disease or the presence of any foreign body in the throat or air passages of the infant) while the infant was in bed with some other person who has attained the age of sixteen years that other person shall, if he was, when he went to bed, under the influence of drink, be deemed to have neglected the infant in a manner likely to cause injury to its health.

(3) A person may be convicted of an offence under this section-

(a) notwithstanding that actual suffering or injury to health or the likelihood of actual suffering or injury to health was obviated by the action of another person;

(b) notwithstanding the death of the child in question.

(4) If it is proved that a person convicted under this section was directly or indirectly interested in any sum of money accruing or payable in the event of the death of the child and had knowledge that that sum of money was accruing or becoming payable then the sum payable shall be forfeited by the Court and the maximum amount of fine which may be imposed under this section shall be .1500 and the Court shall have power in lieu of awarding any other penalty under this section to sentence the person convicted to imprisonment not exceeding five years.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (4)-

(a) a person shall be deemed to be directly or indirectly interested in a sum of money if he has any share in or any benefit from the payment of that money, notwithstanding that he may not be a person to whom it is legally payable; and

(b) a copy of a policy of insurance certified to be a true copy by an officer or agent of the insurance company granting the policy, shall be evidence that the child therein stated to be insured has in fact been so insured and that the person in whose favour the policy has been granted is the person to whom the money thereby insured is legally payable.

(6) [Διαγράφηκε].

Causing or encouraging seduction or prostitution of girl under sixteen

55.-(1) If any person having the custody, charge or care of a girl under the age of sixteen years causes or encourages the seduction, unlawful carnal knowledge or prostitution of, or the commission of an indecent assault upon her, he shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

(2) For the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to have caused or encouraged the seduction, unlawful carnal knowledge or prostitution of, or the commission of an indecent assault upon, a girl who has been seduced, unlawfully carnally known or indecently assaulted or who has become a prostitute, if he has knowingly allowed her to consort with, or enter or continue in the employment of, any prostitute or person of known immoral character.

Sale of tobacco, etc., to persons under fourteen

56.-(1) Any person who sells to a person apparently under the age of fourteen years any tobacco or alcoholic liquor for his own use shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, in the case of a first offence to a fine not exceeding .25, in the case of a

second offence to a fine not exceeding .25, and in the case of a third or subsequent offence to a fine not exceeding .50:

Provided that a person shall not be guilty of an offence under this section in respect of any sale of tobacco otherwise than in the form of cigarettes, if he did not know and had no reason to believe that the tobacco was for the use of the person to whom it was sold.

(2) It shall be the duty of a police officer to seize any tobacco or alcoholic liquor in the possession of any person apparently under the age of fourteen years whom he finds smoking or drinking in any street or public place, and any tobacco or alcoholic liquor so seized shall be disposed of, if seized by a police officer, in such manner as the police authority may direct.

(3) Nothing in this section shall make it an offence to sell tobacco to, or shall authorize the seizure of tobacco in the possession of, any person who is at the time employed by a manufacturer of, or dealer in, tobacco, either wholesale or retail, for the purposes of his business, or who is a boy messenger in uniform in the employment of a messenger company and employed as such at the time.

(4) For the purposes of this section the expression “tobacco” includes cigarettes and smoking mixtures intended as a substitute for tobacco; the expression “cigarettes” includes cut tobacco rolled up in paper, tobacco leaf, or other material in such form as to be capable of immediate use for smoking and the expression “alcoholic liquor” includes beer, porter, cider, zivania, brandy, whisky, sherry or any spirits or wines except where medically prescribed in writing or ordered by a medical practitioner in an emergency.

Causing or allowing persons under sixteen to be used for begging

57.-(1) If any person causes or procures any child under the age of sixteen years, or having the custody, charge or care of such a child, allows him to be in any street, premises or place, for the purpose of begging or receiving alms, or inducing the giving of alms (whether or not there is any pretence of singing, playing, performing, offering anything for sale or otherwise) he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding .150 or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(2) If any person having the custody, charge or care of a child is charged with an offence under this section and it is proved that the child was in any street, premises or place for any such purpose as aforesaid and that the person charged allowed the child to be in the street, premises or place, he shall be presumed to have allowed him to be in the street, premises or place for that purpose unless the contrary is proved.

(3) If any person while singing, playing, performing or offering anything for sale in a street or public place has with him a child who has been lent or hired out to him, the child shall for the purposes of this section be deemed to be in that street or place for the purpose of inducing the giving of alms.

Exposing children under seven to risk of burning

58. If any person who has attained the age of sixteen years, having the custody, charge or care of any child under the age of seven years, allows the child to be in any room containing an open fire not sufficiently protected to guard against the risk of his being burnt or scalded without taking reasonable precautions against that risk and by reason thereof the child is killed or suffers serious injury, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding .50.

Failing to provide for the safety of children at entertainments

59.-(1) Where there is provided in any building an entertainment for children, or an entertainment at which the majority of persons attending are children, then if the number of children attending exceeds fifty, it shall be the duty of the person providing the entertainment to station and keep stationed wherever necessary a sufficient number of adult attendants, properly instructed as to their duties to prevent more children or other persons being admitted to the building or to any part thereof, than the building or part can properly accommodate and to control the movement of the children and other persons admitted while entering and leaving the building or any part thereof, and to take all other reasonable precautions for the safety of the children.

(2) Where the occupier of a building permits for hire or reward the building to be used for the purpose of an entertainment, he shall take all reasonable steps to secure the observance of the provisions of this section.

(3) Where entertainment is provided in any building it shall be the duty of the person providing the entertainment to prohibit admission to children under three years of age whether accompanied by their parents or not:

Provided that if the entertainment is in an open-air enclosure this subsection shall only apply after 9.30 p.m.

(4) Where the entertainment provided includes the exhibition of any cinematograph film or part of a film it shall be the duty of the person providing the entertainment to ensure that admission is refused to any person under sixteen years of age whether accompanied by an adult or not if the classification of the Board of Censors shows the film to be unsuitable for exhibition to persons under sixteen years of age.

(5) O επιχειρηματίας ή ο διευθυντής ή το πρόσωπο που έχει υπό τον έλεγχο του υποστατικό που λειτουργεί ως μπυραρία ή μπαρ ή μουσικοχορευτικό κέντρο ή δισκοθήκη ή καμπαρέ υποχρεούται να διασφαλίζει ότι δε θα εισέρχεται στο υποστατικό αυτό οποιοδήποτε πρόσωπο ηλικίας κάτω των δεκαεπτά χρονών, εκτός αν συνοδεύεται από το γονέα ή τον κηδεμόνα του:

Νοείται ότι ο επιχειρηματίας υποχρεούται να διασφαλίζει ότι δε θα εισέρχεται σε καμπαρέ πρόσωπο ηλικίας κάτω των δεκαεπτά χρονών, έστω και αν αυτό συνοδεύεται από το γονέα ή τον κηδεμόνα του.

(6) Ιf any person on whom any obligation is imposed by this section fails to fulfil that obligation, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding, in the case of a first offence, πεντακόσιες λίρες ή ποινή φυλάκισης που δεν υπερβαίνει τους τρεις μήνες ή και στις δύο ποινές and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, xίλιες λίρες ή ποινή φυλάκισης που δεν υπερβαίνει τους έξι μήνες ή και στις δύο ποινές and also if the building is subject to the grant of any licence that licence may be revoked by the authority responsible for granting it.

(7) Any police officer or welfare worker may enter any building in which he has reason to believe that such an entertainment as aforesaid is being or is about to be provided with a view to seeing whether the provisions of this section are carried into effect.

Publication of harmful matter

60.-(1) Any person who prints, publishes, sells or lets on hire any book, magazine or other like work which consists wholly or partly of stories told in pictures (with or without written matter) portraying the commission of crimes, acts of violence or cruelty or incidents of a repulsive or horrible nature in such a way that the work as a whole would tend to corrupt a child under the age of sixteen years into whose hands it might fall (whether by inciting or encouraging him to commit crimes or acts of violence or cruelty or in any other way whatsoever) shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding .450 or imprisonment not exceeding four months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

(2) Any police officer or welfare worker may confiscate any such work as aforesaid and any work so seized shall be destroyed, or disposed of, according to the instructions of the Court.

(3) Any Court may, if satisfied on sworn information that there is reasonable ground for believing that such works are being kept in a building or place within its jurisdiction or that an offence under this section is being committed in a building or place within its jurisdiction, on the application of a police officer or welfare officer, grant a warrant to search such a building or place and seize any such works found there.

Power to take offenders into custody

61.-(1) Any police officer may take into custody without warrant-

(a) any person who within his view commits any of the offences mentioned in the Schedule to this Law if the police officer does not know and cannot ascertain his name and address;

(b) any person who has committed or whom he has reason to believe to have committed any of the offences mentioned in the Schedule to this Law if the officer has reasonable grounds for believing that that person will abscond or does not know and cannot ascertain his name and address.

(2) Where, under the powers conferred by this section a police officer arrests any person without warrant, an officer not below the rank of inspector or officer in charge of the police station to which the person is brought shall, unless in his belief the release of the person on bail would tend to defeat the ends of justice or to cause injury or danger to the child against whom the offence is alleged to have been committed, release the person arrested on his entering into such recognizance with or without sureties as may in the judgment of the officer of police be required to secure his attendance upon the hearing of the charge.

Interpretation of Part X

62. For the purposes of this Part-

(a) any person who is the parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of sixteen years or who is legally liable to maintain him shall be presumed to have the custody of him, and as between father and mother, the father shall not be deemed to have ceased to have the custody of him by reason only that he has deserted or otherwise does not reside with, the mother and the child;

(b) any person to whose charge a child under the age of sixteen years is committed by any person who has the custody of him shall be presumed to have the charge of the child;

(c) any other person having actual possession or control of a child under the age of sixteen years shall be presumed to have the care of him.