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OBSCENE PUBLICATIONS ACT 1857 - SECT 1

Justices, &c. may authorize search of suspected persons.

1. It shall be lawful for any ... stipendiary magistrate, or for any two
justices of the peace, upon complaint made before him or them upon oath that
the complainant has reason to believe, and does believe, that any obscene
books, papers, writings, prints, pictures, drawings, or other representations
are kept in any house, shop, room, or other place within the limits of the
jurisdiction of any such magistrate or justices, for the purpose of sale or
distribution, exhibition for purposes of gain, lending upon hire, or being
otherwise published for purposes of gain, which complainant shall also state
upon oath that one or more articles of the like character have been sold,
distributed, exhibited, lent, or otherwise published as aforesaid, at or in
connexion with such place, so as to satisfy such magistrate or justices that
the belief of the said complainant is well founded, and upon such magistrate
or justices being also satisfied that any of such articles so kept for any of
the purposes aforesaid are of such a character and description that the
publication of them would be a misdemeanor, and proper to be prosecuted as
such, to give authority by special warrant to any constable or police officer
into such house, shop, room, or other place, with such assistance as may be
necessary, to enter in the daytime, and, if necessary, to use force, by
breaking open doors or otherwise, and to search for and seize all such books,
papers, writings, prints, pictures, drawings, or other representations as
aforesaid found in such house, shop, room, or other place, and to carry all
the articles so seized before the magistrate or justices issuing the said
warrant, or some other magistrate or justices exercising the same
jurisdiction; and such magistrate or justices shall thereupon issue a summons
calling upon the occupier of the house or other place which may have been so
entered by virtue of the said warrant to appear within seven days before such
police stipendiary magistrate ..., to show cause why the articles so seized
should not be destroyed; and if such occupier or some other person claiming to
be the owner of the said articles shall not appear within the time aforesaid,
or shall appear, and such magistrate ... shall be satisfied that such articles
or any of them are of the character stated in the warrant, and that such or
any of them have been kept for any of the purposes aforesaid, it shall be
lawful for the said magistrate ... and he ... are hereby required, to order
the articles so seized, except such of them as he ... may consider necessary
to be preserved as evidence in some further proceeding to be destroyed at the
expiration of the time herein-after allowed for lodging an appeal, unless
notice of appeal as herein-after mentioned be given, and such articles shall
be in the meantime impounded; and if such magistrate ... shall be satisfied
that the articles seized are not of the character stated in the warrant, or
have not been kept for any of the purposes aforesaid, he ... shall forthwith
direct them to be restored to the occupier of the house or other place in
which they were seized.

Ss.2, 3 rep. by SLR (NI) 1954


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