Offences against military law in the United Kingdom


The main Offences against military law in the United Kingdom are set out in the Armed Forces Act 2006.
The offences fall into two main categories, discipline offences and criminal conduct offences. A second distinction is between those offences that can be dealt with by a Commanding Officer in a summary hearing, and those that can only be heard by the Court Martial.

Discipline offences

Discipline offences are those offences that can only be committed by members of the armed forces or, in a few cases, by a civilian subject to service discipline.
The table below lists the principal discipline offences, and indicates for each offence:
Note: Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 only applies to the sentences of 2.5 years or less.
SecOffenceDefinition, example or notesCivilian?Summary
hearing?
Maximum sentence at court martial
1Assisting an enemy
  • Communicating without authority with an enemy
  • Giving an enemy information that would or might be useful to him
  • Providing an enemy with supplies
  • Harbouring or protecting an enemy
  • Serving with enemy forces or participating in propaganda having been taken prisoner
NoNoLife imprisonment
2Misconduct on operations
  • Surrendering or abandoning a place or thing to the enemy without reasonable excuse
  • When in action or in the vicinity of the enemy:
  • * failing to use utmost exertions to carry out lawful orders
  • * sleeping on duty, or leaving his post
  • * spreading alarm or despondency within the ranks
  • NoNoLife imprisonment
    3Obstructing operations
  • Putting at risk, with intent or recklessness, the success of an action
  • Delaying or discouraging, without lawful excuse, an action
  • NoNoIf in action with the enemy, life imprisonment. Otherwise, 10 years' imprisonment
    4Looting
  • Taking property, without lawful excuse, from a person killed, injured or captured in operations
  • Searching such a person with intent to take property
  • Taking, or searching a place for, property left exposed as a result of action
  • YesNoLife imprisonment
    4Looting
  • Taking a vehicle, equipment or stores abandoned by the enemy, unless for the public service
  • YesYesSeven years' imprisonment
    5Failing to escape
  • Failing to escape when there are reasonable steps that could be taken to escape
  • Preventing or discouraging, without lawful excuse, another from escaping
  • NoNo10 years' imprisonment
    6Mutiny
  • Attempting to overthrow or resist lawful authority
  • Disobeying lawful authority in order to subvert discipline
  • Conspiring to do the above
  • NoNoLife imprisonment
    7Failing to suppress mutinyFailing to prevent or suppress a mutiny he knows is occurring or is intendedNoNoLife imprisonment
    8Desertion
  • Being absent without leave with the intention to remain so permanently
  • NoNoTwo years' imprisonment
    8Desertion
  • Being absent without leave to avoid active service
  • NoNoLife imprisonment
    9Absence without leave
  • Intentionally or negligently being absent without leave
  • Recklessly doing an act that causes him to be absent without leave
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    10Failing to apprehend deserters or absenteesKnowing that another is a deserter or absent without leave, failing to take reasonable steps to apprehend themNoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    11Misconduct towards a superior officer
  • Using violence against a superior officer
  • Threatening behaviour or communication to a superior officer
  • NoYes10 years' imprisonment
    11Misconduct towards a superior officer
  • Disrespectful behaviour or communication to a superior officer
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    12Disobeying lawful commandsIntentionally or recklessly disobeying a lawful commandNoYes10 years' imprisonment
    13Contravening standing ordersContravening a standing order he should be aware ofYesYesTwo years' imprisonment
    14Using force against a sentry
  • Using force against a sentry
  • By threat of force, compelling a sentry to let him or another pass
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    15Failing to attend for, or perform, duty
  • Without lawful excuse:
  • * failing to attend for duty
  • * leaving a duty early
  • * failing to perform a duty
  • Performing a duty negligently
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    16Malingering
  • Pretending to have an injury or disease, or aggravating or prolonging an injury or disease, to avoid service
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    16Malingering
  • Causing himself an injury, or causing another to injure him, to avoid service
  • Injuring another, or aggravating or prolonging the injury of another, to help him to avoid service
  • NoNoTwo years' imprisonment
    17Disclosing information useful to an enemyDisclosing information known or believed to be useful to an enemy, without lawful authorityNoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    18Making false records
  • Making a false official record
  • Tampering with or suppressing an official document with intent to deceive
  • Failing to make an official record he has a duty to make, with intent to deceive
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    19Conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline
  • e.g., Wearing a rank he is not entitled to
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    20Unfitness or misconduct through alcohol or drugsDue to the influence of alcohol or any intoxicant
  • being unfit to be entrusted with a duty
  • behaving in a disorderly manner
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    21Fighting or threatening behaviour
  • Fighting another without reasonable lawful excuse
  • Intentionally using threatening, abusive, insulting, or provocative behaviour likely to cause a disturbance
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    22Ill-treating subordinatesBullying, humiliating, degrading or using unnecessarily harsh behaviour against a subordinateNoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    23Disgraceful conduct of a cruel or indecent kindNote: an act of a sexual nature that occurs in private between consenting adults is not generally regarded as indecentNoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    24Damage to, or loss of, public propertyIntentionally, without lawful excuse, or recklessly damaging or causing the loss of public or military property, or properly belonging to another service personNoYes10 years' imprisonment
    24Damage to, or loss of, public or service property
  • Negligently damaging or causing the loss of public or service property
  • Recklessly or negligently doing something likely to cause damage to, or the loss of, public or military property
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    25Misapplying or wasting public or service property
  • e.g. Allowing fuel to overflow a tank
  • NoYesDismissal with disgrace
    27Obstructing or failing to assist a service policeman
  • Obstructing a service policeman or provost officer
  • Failing, when called upon, to assist a service policeman or provost officer
  • YesYesTwo years' imprisonment
    28Resisting arrest
  • Disobeying, using violence against or threatening a person ordering him into arrest
  • NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    28Resisting arrest
  • Using violence against, or threatening, a person arresting him
  • YesYesTwo years' imprisonment
    29Service custody offences
  • Escaping from lawful custody
  • Using violence against, or threatening, a person having lawful custody
  • YesYesTwo years' imprisonment
    30Allowing escape or unlawful release of prisoners
  • Intentionally or reckless allowing a prisoner to escape
  • Knowingly releasing a prisoner without authority
  • Note: prisoner can be a service person, prisoner of war or other detainee
    NoYesWith intent or knowledge: ten years' imprisonment. Otherwise, two years' imprisonment
    31Hazarding a ship
    • Intentionally, without lawful excuse, or recklessly damaging, stranding or causing the loss of a military ship
    NoNoLife imprisonment
    31Hazarding a ship
  • Negligently hazarding a military ship
  • NoNoTwo years' imprisonment
    32Giving false air signals
  • Giving a false signal to aircraft
  • Interfering with signals for aircraft
  • NoNoLife imprisonment
    33Dangerous flying
  • Intentionally, without lawful excuse, or recklessly doing an act when flying, or in relation to, an aircraft that may or does cause injury or loss of life
  • NoNoLife imprisonment
    33Dangerous flying
  • Negligently doing an act when flying, or in relation to, an aircraft that may or does cause injury or loss of life
  • NoNoTwo years' imprisonment
    34Low flyingIntentionally, recklessly or negligently flying below or NoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    35Annoyance by flyingFlying an aircraft so as to annoy any personNoYesDismissal with disgrace
    36Inaccurate certificationMaking or signing an inaccurate certificate relating to a ship, aircraft or specified equipmentNoYesTwo years' imprisonment
    37 - 38Prize offencesHaving captured a ship or aircraft:
  • failing to send the ship's or aircraft's papers to a prize court
  • failing to bring the ship or aircraft to a port or airfield for adjudication by a prize court
  • ill-treating a person on board
  • unlawfully taking property from a person on board
  • interfering with the cargo
  • NoNoTwo years' imprisonment
    305Failing to provide a sample for drug testingRelates to testing for illegal drugsNoYes51 weeks' imprisonment
    306Failing to provide a sample for alcohol or drug testingRelates to testing for alcohol or illegal drugs after a serious incidentYesYes51 weeks' imprisonment

    Criminal conduct offences

    The military offence of criminal conduct covers anything done anywhere in the world that, if done in England and Wales, would be against the civilian criminal law.
    A Commanding Officer can deal with some criminal conduct offences committed by a service person at a summary hearing, including:
    Some more serious offences can be dealt with summarily with the permission of a major general or equivalent:
    Criminal conduct offences committed by a civilian subject to service discipline are dealt with by the Service Civilian Court if they could be tried by a magistrates' court in England and Wales.
    More serious offences, whether committed by a service person or a civilian subject to service discipline, must be tried by the Court Martial.
    The maximum punishment that can be imposed for criminal conduct is the same as could be imposed by the appropriate civilian court, the Magistrates' Court for minor offences, or the Crown Court for serious offences.

    Punishments

    The punishments that can be imposed on a convicted service person are:
    A civilian convicted by a military court may be sentenced to one of the following punishments: