Treason Felony Act 1848
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| Long title | An Act for the better Security of the Crown and Government of the United Kingdom. |
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| Citation | 11 & 12 Vict. c. 12 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 April 1848 |
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Status: Amended
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| Text of the Treason Felony Act 1848 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk | |
The Treason Felony Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. 12) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Parts of the Act are still in force. It is a law which protects the Queen and the Crown.
The offences in the Act were originally high treason under the Sedition Act 1661 (later the Treason Act 1795), and consequently the penalty was death. However it was found that juries were often reluctant to convict people of capital crimes, and it was thought that the conviction rate might increase if the sentence was reduced to exile to the penal colonies in Australia (the penalty is now life imprisonment). Consequently, in 1848 three categories of treason (all derived from the 1795 Act) were reduced to felonies. (This occurred during a period when the death penalty in the United Kingdom was being abolished for a great many offences.) The Act does not prevent prosecutors from charging somebody with treason instead of treason felony if the same conduct amounts to both offences.
It is treason felony to "compass, imagine, invent, devise, or intend":
Treason felony is an indictable-only offence. It is punishable with imprisonment for life or any shorter term.
In Northern Ireland, a person charged with treason felony may not be admitted to bail except by order of the High Court or of the Secretary of State.
Treason felony is a reserved matter on which the Scottish Parliament cannot legislate.
The full text of the Act is available online. The wording of section 3 of the Act is:
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