| 释义 |
abstracting electricity
The offence, punishable with up to five years’ imprisonment and/or a fine, of dishonestly using, wasting, or diverting electricity (Theft Act 1968 s 13). This offence may be committed by someone who bypasses his electricity meter or reconnects a disconnected meter or who unlawfully obtains a free telephone call (though there is a more specific and potentially less serious offence to deal with this). Although bypassing a gas or water meter could constitute theft of the gas or water, in Low v Blease [1975] Crim LR 513 it was held that electricity could not be stolen as it is not property within the meaning of section 4 of the Theft Act 1968. As an offence of dishonesty, abstracting electricity must now be governed by the largely objective test for dishonesty adopted by the Supreme Court in Ivey v Genting Casinos [2017] UKSC 67, [2018] AC 391. Computer hackers were formerly charged with offences of abstracting electricity until the Computer Misuse Act 1990 made hacking a specific criminal offence. |