[2001.]
Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud
Offences) Act, 2001.
[No. 50.]
the presence or absence of reasonable grounds for such a belief is a Pt.2 S.4
matter to which the court or jury shall have regard, in conjunction
with any other relevant matters, in considering whether the person
so believed.
(5) In this section—
‘‘appropriates’’, in relation to property, means usurps or adversely
interferes with the proprietary rights of the owner of the property;
‘‘depriving’’ means temporarily or permanently depriving.
(6) A person guilty of theft is liable on conviction on indictment
to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.
5.—(1) Where property or a right or interest in property is or
purports to be transferred for value to a person acting in good faith,
no later assumption by that person of rights which that person
believes himself or herself to be acquiring shall, by reason of any
defect in the transferor’s title, amount to theft of the property.
(2) A person cannot steal land, or things forming part of land and
severed from it by or under his or her directions, except where the
person—
(a) being a trustee, personal representative or other person
authorised by power of attorney or as liquidator of a
company or otherwise to sell or dispose of land owned
by another, appropriates the land or anything forming
part of it by dealing with it in breach of the confidence
reposed in him or her, or
(b) not being in possession of the land, appropriates anything
forming part of the land by severing it or causing it to be
severed, or after it has been severed, or
(c) being in possession of the land under a tenancy or licence,
appropriates the whole or part of any fixture or structure
let or licensed to be used with the land.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2)—
(a) ‘‘land’’ does not include incorporeal hereditaments,
‘‘tenancy’’ means a tenancy for years or any less period and
includes an agreement for such a tenancy,
‘‘licence’’ includes an agreement for a licence,
and
(b) a person who after the expiration of a tenancy or licence
remains in possession of land shall be treated as having
possession under the tenancy or licence, and ‘‘let’’ and
‘‘licensed’’ shall be construed accordingly.
(4) A person who picks mushrooms or any other fungus growing
wild on any land, or who picks flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant
(including any shrub or tree) growing wild on any land, does not
(although not in possession of the land) steal what is picked, unless
he or she does it for reward or for sale or other commercial purpose.
11
Exceptions to theft.