Part III
-
Offences relating to the administration of justice
Division 4
-
Perverting the course of justice
History
Div 4 heading inserted by No 3 of 2011, s 3 and Sch 2 item 12, effective 3 March 2011.
SECTION 43
ATTEMPTING TO PERVERT JUSTICE
43(1)
A person commits an offence if:
(a)
the person attempts to obstruct, to prevent, to pervert or to defeat the course of justice in relation to a judicial power; and
(b)
the judicial power is the judicial power of the Commonwealth.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
History
S 43(1) substituted by No 3 of 2011, s 3 and Sch 2 item 15, effective 3 March 2011. S 43(1) formerly read:
43(1)
Any person who attempts, in any way not specially defined in this Act, to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat, the course of justice in relation to the judicial power of the Commonwealth, shall be guilty of an offence.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
43(2)
Absolute liability applies to the paragraph (1)(b) element of the offence.
Note:
For absolute liability, see section
6.2
of the
Criminal Code
.
History
S 43(2) substituted by No 3 of 2011, s 3 and Sch 2 item 15, effective 3 March 2011. S 43(2) formerly read:
43(2)
For the purposes of an offence against subsection (1), absolute liability applies to the physical element of circumstance of the offence, that the judicial power is of the Commonwealth.
Note:
For
absolute liability
, see section
6.2
of the
Criminal Code
.
S 43(2) inserted by No 24 of 2001, s 3 and Sch 10 item 52. For application provisions, see note under s 3BA.
43(3)
For the person to be guilty of an offence against subsection (1), the person's conduct must be more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence. The question whether conduct is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence is one of fact.
History
S 43(3) inserted by No 24 of 2001, s 3 and Sch 10 item 52. For application provisions, see note under s 3BA.
43(4)
A person may be found guilty of an offence against subsection (1) even if doing the thing attempted is impossible.
History
S 43(4) inserted by No 24 of 2001, s 3 and Sch 10 item 52. For application provisions, see note under s 3BA.