Fraudulent Mediums Act

Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951

The Fraudulent Mediums Act ! what is it ?, In Simple terms the fraudulent mediums act came into power to stop so called Mediums from Conning people out of money with the explosion of Mediums and Psychic's in the 1940's, one of the most Famous Mediums to be tried under the fraudulent mediums act was Helen Duncan  , It starts in 1541 with the Witchcraft Act and still carries on till this day,, In 1541 Henry VIII  was the first to define witchcraft as a felony, a crime punishable by death,, Witchcraft Act 1562 was a little more merciful towards those found guilty of witchcraft than its predecessor, demanding the death penalty only where harm had been caused; lesser offences were punishable by a term of imprisonment,, The Year 1604 the year following James' accession to the English throne, the Elizabethan Act was broadened to bring the penalty of death without benefit of clergy to any one who invoked evil spirits or communed with familiar spirits,, The Act's full title was An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicked spirits,it was this statute that was enforced by Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witch-Finder General, a Man of Greed and a Man who cared for Nothing but Money and Power, who came unstuck in the end by showing his crule and ruthless side to much,, As time went on the Church Started to change and lifted their hard hand (im saying nothing more on that),, then in 1735 The Witchcraft Act of 1735 marked a complete reversal in attitudes. Penalties for the practice of witchcraft as traditionally constituted, which by that time was considered by many influential figures to be an impossible crime, were replaced by penalties for the pretence of witchcraft. A person who claimed to have the power to call up spirits, or foretell the future, or cast spells, or discover the whereabouts of stolen goods, was to be punished as a vagrant and a con artist subject to fines and imprisonment, a bit different from 1604,within 130 years we went from burning Mediums or psychics as witches at the stake to being called a vagrant !! (are well better then the stake i surpose),The Act applied to the whole of Great Britain, repealing both the 1563 Scottish Act and the 1604 English one.

So a brief History of where the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 started and where it is today, For over 500 years the Fraudulent mediums act shows the Horror many mediums and psychics went though, being set alive, and made to go though things no person should have to go though, all i can say is my heart gos to them before and for them to come make sure your Genuine.    

 Below is the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 Act

An Act to repeal the Witchcraft Act 1735, and to make, in substitution for certain provisions of section four of the Vagrancy Act 1824, express provision for the punishment of persons who fraudulently purport to act as spiritualistic mediums or to exercise powers of telepathy, clairvoyance or other similar powers.  [22nd June 1951]

1 Punishment of fraudulent mediums,

(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, any person who—

(a)with intent to deceive purports to act as a spiritualistic medium or to exercise any powers of telepathy, clairvoyance or other similar powers, or

(b)in purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium or to exercise such powers as aforesaid, uses any fraudulent device,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(2)A person shall not be convicted of an offence under the foregoing subsection unless it is proved that he acted for reward; and for the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to act for reward if any money is paid, or other valuable thing given, in respect of what he does, whether to him or to any other person.

(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four months or to both such fine and such imprisonment, or on conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(4)No proceedings for an offence under this section shall be brought in England or Wales except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

(5)Nothing in subsection (1) of this section shall apply to anything done solely for the purpose of entertainment.

(1)This Act may be cited as the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951.

(2)This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

In April 2008 the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 will be changed by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007 (CPRs) which implerment the unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD)

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