Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797
The Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The act was passed in the aftermath of the Spithead and Nore mutinies and aimed to prevent the seduction of sailors and soldiers to commit mutiny.
The act was revived and made perpetual by the .
The Parliament of Ireland passed an equivalent act in the same year: the Incitement to Disaffection Act 1797.
Provisions
Section 1 – Any person who shall attempt to seduce any sailor or soldier from his duty or incite him to mutiny, etc to suffer death
Section 1 of the act provided:The words at the end were repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.
The reference to felony was construed as a reference to "an offence" following the Criminal Law Act 1967 and the Criminal Law Act 1967.
The offence was extended to members of the Royal Air Force by the Air Force Order 1918.
The death penalty for the offence under section 1 was reduced to transportation for life by section 1 of the Punishment of Offences Act 1837. It was reduced again to penal servitude for life by section 2 of the Penal Servitude Act 1857, and to imprisonment for life by section 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1948 and of the Criminal Justice Act 1949.
Section 3 – Persons tried for offences against this Act not to be tried again for the same, as high treason, or misprision of high treason, etc
Section 3 of the act read:Subsequent developments
Section 4 of the act was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1871.Section 2 of the act was repealed by part III of schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.
The whole act was repealed by section 1 of, and group 2 of part I of schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Act 1998.