Malicious Damage Act (No. 9 of 1876)
Made 1878-01-01 · Text as of 2026-10-01
Public law and official guidance, published as research. Not legal, tax or financial advice.
About this law
- Language
- English
- Kind
- Act
- Organisation
- Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
- Country
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Subjects
- Livestock, Forestry, Cultivated plants, Water
- Keywords
- animal welfare, fire management, hazards, plant production, offences/penalties, bank, waterworks
- Categories
- agriculture
Where to read it
No source link is recorded for this law.
Text
The law's own text, section by section, as held. Each section has its own link.
1. Short title. PART I - INJURIES BY FIRE T O BUILDINGS, AND GOODS THEREIN
2. Setting fire to a church or chapel.
3. Setting fire to a dwelling-house, any person being therein.
4. Setting fire to a house, outhouse, manufactory, farm building, &c.
5. Setting fire to any public building.
6. Setting fire to other buildings.
7. Setting fire to goods in any building, the setting fire to which is felony.
8. Attempting to set fire to buildings. PART II - INJURY BY EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES T O BUILDINGS, AND GOODS THEREIN
9. Destroying or damaging house with gunpowder, any person being therein.
10. Attempting to destroy buildings with gunpowder. PART III - INJURIES T O BUILDINGS BY RIOTERS, &c. 1 1. Rioters demolishing church, building, &c.
12. Rioters injuring building, machinery, &c. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 2 C A P . 258) Malicious Damage PART IV-INJURIES T O BUILDINGS BY TENANTS
13. Tenants of houses, &c. maliciously injuring them. PART V - INJURIES T O MANUFACTURES, MACHINERY, &c
14. Destroying machines in manufactures, threshing machines, &c. PART VI - INJURIES T O CORN, TREES AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS
15. Setting fire to canes, corn, &c.
16. Setting fire to trash, megass, &c.
17. Attempting to set fire to any crops of cane, corn, &c.
18. Carrying or having fire in cane fields, &c.
19. Destroying or damaging trees, shrubs, &c. to the value of more than $4.80, growing in a pleasure ground, &c.
20. Destroying or damaging trees, shrubs, &c., to the value of more than $25.00, growing elsewhere than in a pleasure ground, &c,
21. Damaging trees, wheresoever growing, to the amount of 25 cents.
22. Destroying any fruit or vegetable production in a garden.
23. Destroying &c., vegetable productions not growing in gardens, &c. PART VII - INJURIES T O FENCES
24. Destroying, &c. any fence, wall, stile or gate. PART VIII - INJURIES T O SEA AND RIVER BANKS, &c
25. Destroying any sea bank or wall, &c.
26. Breaking down the dam of a pond or fishery, or poison- ing ponds, fish or water.
27. Removing the piles of any sea bank, &c., or doing any damage to obstruct the navigation of a river, &c. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 3 P A R T I X - INJURIES T O BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS
28. Injury to a public bridge, &c. PART X - INJURIES T O TELEGRAPHS &c
29. Injury to electric telegraphs.
30. Attempt to injure such telegraph. PART X I - INJURIES T O WORKS O F ART, &c
31. Destroying or damaging works of art in museums, churches, &c. or in public places. P A R T XII - INJURIES T O CATTLE AND O T H E R ANIMALS
32. Killing or maiming cattle.
33. Interpretation of term "cattle".
34. Killing or maiming other animals. P A R T XIII - INJURIES T O SHIPS, VESSELS, &c
35. Setting fire to ship.
36. Setting fire to ships to prejudice the owner or underwriters. .
37. Attemoting to set fire to vessel.
38. Placing explosive near a vessel with intent to damage it.
39. Damaging ships otherwise than by fire.
40. Exhibiting. false signals, &c.
41. Removing or concealing buoys and other sea marks.
42. Destroying wrecks or any article belonging thereto. P A R T XIV - SENDING LETTERS THREATENING T O BURN O R DESTROY
43. Sending letters threatening to burn or destroy houses, buildings, ships, &c. LAM'S OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 4 C A P . 258) Malicious Damage P A R T X V - INJURIES N O T BEFORE PROVIDED F O R
44. Persons committing malicious injuries not before pro- vided for, exceeding the amount of $500.00.
45. Trespass.
46. Persons committing damage in any case not previously provided for.
47. Preceding section to extend to trees. PART XVI MAKING G U N P O W D E R TO C O M M I T OFFENCES, AND SEARCHING F O R T H E SAME
48. Making or having gunpowder, &c., with intent to com- mit any felony against this Act.
49. Magistrates may issue warrants for searching houses, &c., for such gunpowder, &c. P A R T XVII - O T H E R M A T T E R S
50. Principals in second degree, and accessories.
51. Any person loitering at night and suspected of any felony may be apprehended.
52. Malice against owner of property unnecessary.
53. Provisions of Act to apply to person in possession of the property injured.
54. Persons in the act of committing any offence may be apprehended without a warrant.
55. Abettors in offences punishable on summary conviction.
56. Application of forfeitures and penalties upon conviction.
57. The Magistrate may discharge the offender in certain cases.
58. A summary conviction shall be a bar to any other pro- ceeding for the same cause.
59. Fines and sureties for keeping the peace, in what cases, &c.
60. T h e costs of the prosecution of misdemeanours against this Act may be allowed.
61. Application of fines. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 5 MALICIOUS DAMAGE (1st January, 1878.) 9/1876. S.R.O. 22/1956. 15/1961. 33/1982.
1. This Act may be cited as the Malicious Damage Short title. Act. PART I INJURIES BY FIRE TO BUILDINGS, AND GOODS THEREIN
2. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire Setting fire to a church or chapel. to any church, chapel, meeting-house, or other place of divine worship shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour.
3. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire Setting fire to a dwelling-house, to any dwelling-house, any person being therein, shall be any person being guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any therein. term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour.
4. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire Setting fire to a house, outhouse, to any house, stable, coach-house, out-house, warehouse, manufactory, office, shop, mill, barn, store-house, granary, hovel, shed farm building, or fold, or to any plantation building, or to any building &c. or erection used for plantation purposes, or in carrying on any trade or manufacture or any branch thereof, whether the same shall then be in the possession of the offender or in the possession of any other person, with intent thereby to injure or defraud any person, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour.
5 . Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire Setting fire to any public to any building, other than such as are in this Act before building. mentioned, belonging to the Queen, or devoted or dedicated to public use or ornament, or erected or maintained by public subscription or contribution, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding !en years, with or without hard labour. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 6 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Setting fire to other buildings.
6. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire to any building other than such as are in this Act before mentioned shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour. Setting fire to goods in any
7. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire the to any matter or thing, being lll against or under any which is felony. building, under such circumstances that, if the building werk thereby set fire to, the offence would amount to felony, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour. Attempting to set fire to buildings.
8. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously, by any overt act attempt to set fire to any building, or any matter or thing in the last preceding section mentioned, under such circumstances that, if the same were thereby set fire to, the offender would be guilty of felony, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour. PART II INJURY BY EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES TO BUILDINGS, AND GOODS THEREIN Destroying or damaging house
9. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously, by the with gunpowder, explosion of gunpowder or other explosive substance, destroy, any person being throw down, or damage the whole or any part of any therein. dwelling-house, any person being therein, or of any building, whereby the life of any person shall be endangered, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour. Attempting to destroy buildings
10. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously place, with gunpowder. or throw, in, into, upon, under, against, or near any building, any gunpowder or other explosive substance, with intent to destroy or damage any building, or any engine, machinery, working tools, fixtures, goods, or chattels, shall, whether or not any explosion takes place, and whether or not any damage be caused, be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 7 PART III INJURIES TO BUILDINGS BY RIOTERS, &c
11. If any persons, riotously and tumultuously demolishingRioters assembled together to the disturbance of the public peace, church, building, shall unlawfully and with force demolish, or pull down, or &c. destroy, or begin to demolish, pull down, or destroy, any church, chapel, meeting-house, or other place of divine wor- ship, or any house, stable, coach-house, out-house, warehouse, office, shop, mill, mill-house, boiling-house, curing-house, still-house, barn, store-house, granary, shed, hovel, or fold, or any trash-house, or megass-house, or any building or erection used in farming land, or in carrying on any trade or manufacture or any branch thereof, or any building other than such as are in this section before men- tioned, or any machinery, whether fixed or movable, prepared for or employed in any manufacture or in any branch thereof, or any steam engine, every such offender shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour.
12. If any persons riotously and tumultuously building, Rioters injuring assembled together to the disturbance of the public peace, machinery, &c. shall unlawfully and with force injure or damage any such church, chapel, meeting-house, place of divine worship, house, stable, coach-house, out-house, warehouse, office, shop, mill, mill-house, boiling-house, curing-house, still- house, barn, store-house, granary, shed, hovel, fold, building, erection, machinery, or engine, as is in the last preceding section mentioned, every such offender shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour: Provided that if, upon the trial of any person for any felony, in the last preceding section mentioned, the jury shall not be satisfied that such person is guilty thereof but shall be satisfied that he is guilty of any offence in this section mentioned, then the jury may find him guilty thereof, and he may be punished accordingly. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CAP. 258) Malicious Damage PART IV INJURIES TO BUILDINGS BY TENANTS Tenants of houses, &c.
13. Whosoever, being possessed of any dwelling-house maliciously or other building, or part of any dwelling-house or other injuring them. building, held for any term of years or other less term, or at will, or held over after the termination of any tenancy, shall unlawfully and maliciously pull down or demolish, or begin to pull down or demolish the same or any part thereof, or shall unlawfully and maliciously pull down, or sever from the freehold, any fixture being fixed in or to such dwelling- house or building, or part of such dwelling-house or building, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour. PART V INJURIES TO MANUFACTURES, MACHINERY, &c Destroying machines in
14. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, manufactures, break, or destroy, or damage with intent to destroy or render threshing useless, any machine or engine, whether fixed or movable, machines, &c. used or intended to be used for sowing, reaping, mowing, threshing, ploughing, or draining, or for performing any other agricultural operation, or any machine or engine, or any tool or implement, whether fixed or movable, prepared for or employed in any manufacture whatsoever, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour. PART VI INJURIES TO C ORN, TREES AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS Setting fire to 15. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set canes, corn, &c. fire to any crop of canes, grass, corn, gram, cotton, or pulse, or of any cultivated vegetable produce, whether standing or cut down, or to any part of any wood, coppice, or planta- tion of trees, or to any heath, gorse, furze, or fern, wheresoever the same may be growing, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding seven years, with or without hard labour. Setting fire to trash, megass,
16. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set &c. fire to any stack of trash, megass, cane-tops, corn, grain, pulse, tares, hay, straw, haulm, or stubble, or of any cultivated vegetable produce, or of furze, gorse, heath, fern, t l.AWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 9 turf, peat, coals, charcoal, wood, or bark, or to any stack of wood or bark, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour.
17. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously, by fire Attempting to set to any crops any overt act, attempt to set fire to any such matter or things of cane, corn, as in either of the last two preceding sections mentioned, &c. under such circumstances that, if the same were thereby set fire to, the offender would be, under either of such sections, guilty of felony, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour.
18. Whosoever shall take, carry, or have any fire, Carrying or having fire in lighted torch, pipe, or cigar into or in any piece of canes, cane fields, &c. whether standing or cut down, or any trash-house, or megass- house, or shall carelessly set on fire any such canes, trash- house, or megass-house, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.
19. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, damaging Destroying or trees, break, bark, root-up, or otherwise destroy or damage the shrubs, &c. to whole or any part of any tree, sapling, or shrub, or any under- than the value of more $4.80, wood growing in any park, pleasure ground, garden, orchard, growing in a or avenue, or in any ground adjoining or belonging to any pleasure ground, &c. dwelling-house (in case the amount of the injury done shall exceed the sum of four dollars and eighty cents), shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour.
20. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, damaging Destroying or trees, break, bark, root-up, or otherwise destroy or damage the shrubs, &c., to whole or any part of any tree, sapling, or shrub, or any under- the value of more than $25.00, wood growing elsewhere than in any park, pleasure ground, growing else- where than in = garden, orchard, or avenue, or in any ground adjoining or pleasure ground, belonging to any dwelling-house, (in case the amount of &c. injury done shall exceed the sum of twenty-five dollars), shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 10 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Damaging trees, wheresoever
21. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, break, bark, root-up, or otherwise destroy or damage the cents. whole or any part of any tree, sapling, or shrub, or any under- wood, wheresoever the same may be growing, the injury done being to the amount of twenty-five cents at the least, shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding three months, or else to forfeit and pay, over and above the amount of the injury done, such sum of money, not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars as to the Magistrate shall seem meet; and whosoever, having been convicted of any such offence, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this section before mentioned, shall be liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment with hard labour for any term not exceeding twelve months, and whosoever, having been twice convicted of any such offence, shall afterwards com- mit any of the said offences in this section before mentioned, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour. Destroying any fruit or vegetable
22. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously production in a destroy, or damage with intent to destroy, any plant, root, garden. fruit or vegetable production growing in any garden, orchard, nursery ground, hothouse, greenhouse, or conservatory, shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding six months, or else to forfeit and pay, over and above the amount of the injury done, such sum of money not exceeding one thousand dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet; and whosoever, having been convicted of any such offence, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this section before mentioned, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour. Destroying &c., vegetable
23. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously productions not destroy, or damage with intent to destroy, any cultivated growing in root or plant used for the food of man or beast, or for gardens, &c. medicine, or for distilling, or for dyeing, or for or in the course of any manufacture, and growing in any land, open or enclosed, not being a garden, orchard, or nursery ground, shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding one LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 11 month, or else to forfeit and pay, over and above the amount of the injury done, such sum of money, not exceeding fifty dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet; and whosoever, having been convicted of any such offence, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this section before men- tioned, shall be liable on summary conviction, to imprison- ment with hard labour for any term not exceeding six months. PART VII INJURIES TO FENCES
24. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, any Destroying, &c. fence, wall, break, throw down, or in any wise destroy any fence of any stile, or gate. description whatsoever, or any wall, stile or gate, or any part thereof respectively, shall, on summary conviction, for the Grst offence, forfeit and pay over and above the amount of the injury done, such sum of money, not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars as to the Magistrate shall seem meet; and whosoever, having been convicted of any offence, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this sec- tion before mentioned, shall, for such second offence, be liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment with hard labour for any term not exceeding six months. PART VIII INJURIES TO SEA AND RIVER BANKS, &c
25. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously break sea Destroying any bank or wall, down or cut down, or otherwise damage or destroy, any sea &c. bank or sea wall, or bank, dam or wall, whereby any land or building shall be in danger of being overflowed or damaged, or shall unlawfully and maliciously throw, break, or cut down, level, undermine, or otherwise destroy any quay, wharf, jetty, drain, watercourse, or other work belong- ing to any port, harbour, dock, or reservoir, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour.
26. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut Breaking down the dam of a through, break down, or otherwise destroy, the wall, dam, pond or fishery, bank, or sluice of any pond, reservoir, or pool, or of any or poisoning ponds, fish or water, whether the same shall be public or private property, water. or shall unlawfully and maliciously put any lime or noxious material in any such pond, reservoir, pool or water, or shall LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 12 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage unlawfully cut through, break down, or otherwise destroy the wall, dam, bank, or sluice of any such pond, reservoir, pool, or water, or shall unlawfully put any lime or noxious material in any such pond, reservoir, pool, or water, or any water running into any such pond, reservoir or pool with intent thereby to take or destroy any fish, or so as thereby to cause the loss or destruction of any fish, or to injure the water in any such pond, reservoir, or pool, or any water running into the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour. Removing the piles of any sea
27. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut bank, &c., or off, draw up or remove any piles, chalk, or other materials doing any fixed in the ground, and used for securing any sea bank or damage to obstruct the sea wall, or the bank, dam, or wall of any river, canal, drain, navigation of a aqueduct, marsh, reservoir, pool, port, harbour, dock, quay, river, &c. wharf, jetty, or lock, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour. PART IX INJ URIES TO BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS Injury to a public bridge,
28. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously pull &c. or throw down, or in any wise destroy, any bridge (whether over any stream of water or not), or any viaduct, or aqueduct, or do any injury with intent and so as thereby to render such bridge, viaduct, or aqueduct, or any part thereof, dangerous or impassable, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour. PART X INJURIES TO TELEGRAPHS, &C Injury to electric telegraphs.
29. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut, break, throw down, destroy, injure, or remove any battery, machinery, wire, cable, post, or other matter or thing what- soever, being part of, or being used or employed in or about, any electric or magnetic telegraph, or in the working thereof, or shall unlawfully and maliciously prevent or obstruct, in any manner whatsoever, the sending, conveyance, or delivery LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 13 of any communication by any such telegraph, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour: Provided that if it shall appear to any Magistrate, on the examination of any person charged with any offence against this section, that it is not expedient to the ends of justice that the same should be prosecuted by indictment, the Magistrate may proceed summarily to hear and deter- mine the same, and the offender shall, on summary convic- tion, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding six months, or else to forfeit and pay such sum of money, not exceeding five hundred dollars as to the Magistrate shall seem meet.
30. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously, by Attempt to injure such telegraph. any overt act, attempt to commit any of the offences in the last preceding section mentioned, shall, on summary con- viction, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding three months, or else to forfeit and pay such sum of money, not exceeding five hundred dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet. PART XI INJURIES TO WORKS OF ART, &c
31. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously Destroying or damaging works destroy or damage any book, manuscript, picture, print, of art in statue; bust, or vase, or any other article or-thin g kept for museums, churches, &c., or the purposes of art, science or literature, or as any object in public places. of curiosity, in any museum, gallery, cabinet, library, or other repository, or any picture, statue, monument, or other memorial of the dead, painted glass, or other ornament, or work of art in any church, chapel, meeting-house, or other place of divine worship, or in any building belonging to the Queen or in any street, square, churchyard, burial-ground, public garden or ground, or any statue or monument exposed to public view, or any ornament, railing, or fence surroun- ding such statue or monument, shall be guilty of a misde- meanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding six months, with or without hard labour: LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 14 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Provided that nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the right of any person to recover, by action at law, damages for injuries so committed. PART XII INJURIES TO CATTLE AND OTHER ANIMALS Killing or maiming cattle.
32. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously kill, maim, or wound any cattle, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour. Interpretation of term "cattle".
33. The term "cattle" shall include any horse, mule, ass, swine, sheep, or goat, as well as any neat cattle, or animal of the bovine species, or deer, and whatever be the age and sex of the animal, and whether castrated or not, and by whatever technical or trivial name it may be known, and shall apply to one animal as well as to many. Killing or maimine other
34. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously kill, animals. maim, or wound, any dog, bird, beast, or other animal, not being cattle, but being either the subject of larceny at com- mon law, or being ordinarily kept in a state of confinement, or for any domestic purpose, shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding three months, or else to forfeit and pay, over and above the amount of injury done, such sum of money not exceeding one thousand dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet; and whosoever, having been convicted of any such offence, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this section before mentioned, shall, for such second offence, be liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment with hard labour for any term not exceeding six months. PART XIII INJURIES TO SHIPS, VESSELS, &c Setting fire to ship.
35. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire to, cast away, or in any wise destroy any ship or vessel, whether the same be complete or in any unfinished state, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 15
36. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set ships Setting fire to to prejudice fire to, or cast away, or in any wise destroy any ship or vessel, the owner or with intent thereby to prejudice any owner or part owner underwriters. of such ship or vessel, or of any goods on board the same, or any person who has underwritten, or shall underwrite, any policy of insurance upon such ship or vessel, or on the freight thereof, or upon any goods on board the same, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour.
37. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously, by Attempting to set fire to vessel. any overt act, attempt to set fire to, cast away, or destroy any ship or vessel, under such circumstances that, if the ship or vessel were thereby set fire to, cast away, or destroyed, the offender would be guilty of felony, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour.
38. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously place near Placing explosive a vessel or throw in, into, upon, against, or near any ship or vessel with intent to any ,gunpowder or other explosive substance, with intent to damage it. destroy or damage any ship or vessel, or any machinery, working tools, goods, or chattels, shall, whether or not any explosion takes place, and whether or not any injury be effected, be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour.
39. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously otherwise Damaging ships than damage, otherwise than by fire, gunpowder, or other by fire. explosive substance any ship or vessel, whether complete or in any unfinished state, with intent to destroy the same or render the same useless, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour.
40. Whosoever shall unlawfully mark, alter, or signals, Exhibiting false &c. remove any light or signal, or unlawfully exhibit any false light or signal, with intent to bring any ship, vessel, o r boat into danger, or shall unlawfully and maliciously do anything tending to the immediate loss or destruction of any ship, vessel, or boat, and for which no punishment is hereinbefore provided, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be IAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 16 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage imprisoned for any term not exceeding ten years, with or without hard labour. Removing or concealing buoys
41. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously cut and other sea away, cast adrift, remove, alter, deface, sink, or destroy, marks. or shall unlawfully and maliciously do any act with intent to cut away, cast adrift, remove, alter, deface, sink, or destroy, or shall in any other manner unlawfully and maliciously injure or conceal, any boat, buoy, buoy rope, perch, or mark used or intended for the guidance of seamen for the purposes of navigation, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour. Destroying wrecks or any
42. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously articles belonging destroy any part of any ship or vessel, which shall be in thereto. distress, or wrecked, stranded, or cast on shore, or any goods, merchandise, or articles of any kind belonging to such ship or vessel, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding five years, with or without hard labour. PART XIV SENDING LETTERS THREATENING TO BURN OR DESTROY Sending letters threatening to
43. Whosoever shall send, deliver or utter, or directly burn or destroy or indirectly cause to be received, knowing the contents houses, thereof, any letter or writing threatening to burn or destroy buildings, ships, &c. any house, barn, or other building, or any rick or stack of grain, hay or straw, or other agricultural produce, or any grain, hay, or straw, or other agricultural produce in or under any building, or any ship or vessel, or to kill, maim or wound any cattle, shall be guilty of felony, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding four years, with or without hard labour. PART XV INJURIES NOT BEFORE PROVIDED FOR Persons committing
44. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously com- malicious injuries mit any damage, injury, or spoil to, or upon, any real or not before personal property whatsoever, either of a public or private provided for, nature, for which no punishment is hereinbefore provided, the damage, injury, or spoil being to an amount exceeding LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 17 five hundred dollars, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour; and, in case any such offence shall be committed between the hours of nine of the clock in the evening and six of the clock in the next morning, shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, with or without hard labour.
45. Whosoever shall unlawfully persist in coming or Trespass. remaining upon any plantation, lands, or premises, after being warned not to come thereon or to depart therefrom, shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding two months, or to forfeit and pay such sum of money not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet.
46. Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously com- committing Persons mit any damage, injury, or spoil to, or upon, any real or damage in any personal property whatsoever, either of a public or private case not previously nature, for which no punishment is hereinbefore provided, provided for. shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding two months, or else to forfeit a n d pay such sum of money not exceeding five hundred dollars, as to the Magistrate shall seem meet, and also such further sum of money as shall appear to the Magistrate to be reasonable compensation for the damage, injury, or spoil so committed, not exceeding the sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars; which last men- tioned sum of money shall, in the case of private property, be paid to the party aggrieved; and, in the case of property of a public nature, or wherein any public right is concerned, the money shall be applied in the same manner as every penalty imposed by a Magistrate under any Act for the time being in force within Antigua and Barbuda: Provided that nothing herein contained shall extend to any case where the party acted under a fair and reasonable supposition that he had a right to do the act complained of, nor to any trespass, not being wilful and malicious, com- mitted in hunting, fishing, or in the pursuit of game, but that every such trespass shall be punishable in the same man- ner as if this Act had not been passed. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 18 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Preceding section to extend to
47. The provisions in the last preceding section con- trees. tained shall extend to any person who shall wilfully and maliciously commit any injury to any tree, sapling, shrub, or underwood, for which no punishment is hereinbefore provided. PART XVI MAKING GUNPOWDER TO COMMIT OFFENCES, AND SEAR- CHING FOR THE SAME Making or having
48. Whosoever shall make or manufacture, or know- gunpowder, &c., ingly have in his possession, any gunpowder or other with intent to commit any explosive substance, or any dangerous or noxious thing, or felony against any machine, engine, instrument, or thing, with intent this Act. thereby, or by means thereof to commit, or for the purpose of enabling any other person to commit any of the felonies in this Act mentioned, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour. Magistrates may issue warrants
49. Any Magistrate of any district or place in which for searching any machine, engine, implement, or thing, or any gun- houses, &c., for powder, or other explosive, dangerous or noxious substance, such gunpowder, &c. is suspected to be made, kept, or carried for the purpose of being used in committing-any of the felonies in this Act mentioned, upon reasonable cause assigned upon oath by any person, may issue a warrant under his hand and seal for searching, in the day-time, any house, mill, magazine, storehouse, warehouse, shop, cellar, yard, wharf, or other place, or any carriage, waggon, cart, ship, boat, or vessel, in which the same is suspected to be made, kept, or carried for such purpose as hereinbefore mentioned; and every per- son acting in the execution of any such warrant shall have, for seizing, removing to proper places, and detaining every such machine, engine, implement, and thing, and all such gunpowder, explosive, dangerous, or noxious substances found upon such search, which he shall have good cause to suspect to be intended to be used in committing any such offence, and the barrels, packages, cases, and other recep- tacles in which the same shall be, the same powers and pro- tections which are given to persons searching for unlawful quantities of gunpowder under the warrant of a Justice by LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 19 the Act of the United Kingdom passed in the session holden in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth years of the reign of Queen Victoria, chapter one hundred and thirty-nine, in- tituled "An Act to amend the law concerning the Making, Keeping, and Carriage of Gunpowder and Compositions of an Explosive Nature, and concerning the Manufacture, Sale, and use of Fireworks". PART XVII OTHER MATTERS
50. In the case of every felony punishable under this second Principles in degree, Act, every principal in the second degree, and every accessory and accessories. before the fact, shall be punishable in the same manner as the principal in the first degree is by this Act punishable; and every accessory after the fact to any felony punishable under this Act shall be liable to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and every person who shall aid, abet, counsel, or procure the commission of any misdemeanour punishable under this Act, shall be liable to be proceeded against, indicted, and punished as a principal offender.
51. Any constable or peace officer may take into loitering Any person at night custody, without warrant, any person whom he shall find and suspected of lying or loitering in any highway, yard or other place, dur- any felony may be apprehended. ing the night, and whom he shall have good cause to suspect of having committed, or being about to commit, any felony against this Act, and shall take such person, as soon as reasonably may be, before a Magistrate, to be dealt with according to law.
52. Every punishment and forfeiture by this Act owner Malice against of imposed on any person maliciously committing any offence, property whether the same be punishable upon indictment or upon unnecessary. summary conviction, shall equally apply and be enforced, whether the offence shall be committed from malice conceived against the owner of the property in respect of which it shall be committed, or otherwise. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 20 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Provisions of Act to apply to
53. Every provision of this Act, not hereinbefore so person in applied, shall apply to every person who, with intent to injure possession of the or defraud any other person, shall do any of the acts property injured. hereinbefore made penal, although the offender shall be in possession of the property against or in respect of which such act shall be done. Persons in the act of committing
54. Any person found committing any offence against this Act, whether the same be punishable upon indictment be' ap~~ehended' without a or upon summary conviction, may immediately warrant. apprehended, without a warrant, by any peace-officer, or by the owner of the property injured, or his servant, or any person authorized by him, and forthwith taken before a Magistrate, to be dealt with according to law. Abettors in offences 5 5 . Whosoever shall aid, abet, counsel, or procure punishable on the commission of any offence which is, by this Act, summary punishable upon summary conviction, either for every time conviction. of its commission or for the first and second time only, or for the first time only, shall, on summary conviction, be liable, for every first, second, or subsequent offence of aiding, abetting, counselling, or procuring, to the same forfeiture and punishments to which a person, guilty of a first, second, or subsequent offence as the principle offender, is by this Act made liable. Application of forfeitures and
56. Every sum of money, which shall be forfeited for oenalties uoon the amount of any . injury done, shall be assessed, in each conviction. case, by the convicting Magistrate, and shall be paid to the party aggrieved, except where he is unknown, and, in that case, such sum shall be applied in the same manner as a penalty; and every sum which shall be imposed as a penalty by any Magistrate, whether in addition to such amount or otherwise, shall be paid and applied in the same manner as other penalties recoverable before Magistrates are to be paid and applied in cases where the Act imposing the same contains no directions for the payment thereof to any person: Provided that where several persons shall join in the commission of the same offence, and shall, upon conviction thereof, each be adjudged to forfeit the sum equivalent to the amount of injury done, in every such case no further sum shall be paid to the party aggrieved than such value or amount, and the remaining sum or sums forfeited shall LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Malicious Damage (CAP. 258 21 be applied in the same manner as any penalty imposed by a Magistrate is hereinbefore directed to be applied.
57. Where any person shall be summarily convicted may The Magistrate discharge before a Magistrate of any offence against this Act, and it the offender in shall be a first conviction, the Magistrate may, if he shall certain cases. so think fit, discharge the offender from his conviction upon. his making such satisfaction to the party aggrieved for damages and costs, or either of them, as shall be ascertained by the Magistrate.
58. When any person convicted of any offence conviction A summary shall punishable upon summary conviction by virtue of this Act be a bar to any shall have paid the sum adjudged to be paid, together with other proceeding for the same costs, under such conviction, o r shall have received a remis- cause. sion thereof from the Crown, or shall have suffered the imprisonment awarded for non-payment thereof, o r the imprisonment awarded in the first instance, or shall have been so discharged from his conviction by the Magistrate as aforesaid, he shall be released from all further or other proceedings for the same cause. 5 9 . Whenever any person shall be convicted of any sureties Fines and for indictable misdemeanour punishable under this Act, the keeping the peace, in Court may, if it shall think fit, in addition to, or in lieu of, cases, &c. what any of the punishments by this Act authorized, fine the offender, and require him to enter into his own recognizances, and to find sureties, both or either, for keeping the peace, and being of good behaviour; and, in case of any felony punishable under this Act, the Court may, if it shall think fit, require the offender to enter into his own recognizances, and to find sureties, both or either, for keeping the peace, in addition to any punishment by this Act authorized: Provided that no persons shall be imprisoned under this section for not finding sureties for any period exceeding one year.
60. T h e Court before which an indictable misde- The costs of the prosecution of meanour against this Act shall be prosecuted or tried may misdemeanours allow the costs of the prosecution in the same manner as mayagainst this Act be allowed. in cases of felony; and every order for the payment of such costs shall be made out, and the sum of money mentioned therein paid and repaid, upon the same terms and in the same manner in all respects as in cases of felony. LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 22 CAP. 258) Malicious Damage Application of fines.
61. All fines, forfeitures and penalties imposed and recoverable under this Act shall be paid into the Treasury.