15. Public Order Offences
15. Public Order Offences
- Jeremy HorderJeremy HorderProfessor of Criminal Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
Abstract
This chapter considers offences of public order, in the light of the importance attached to freedom of public demonstration. The main focus is the Public Order Act 1986, and the offences defined therein. The offences are analysed in the context of individual rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association protected respectively by Articles 10 and 11 of the ECHR. The important distinction between prior and subsequent restraint on demonstration is also considered in this context. The old common law offence of public nuisance is also briefly considered, insofar as it may be applied in public order contexts.
