All Acts
Communications· 1988
MCA 1988
Malicious Communications Act 1988
Criminalises sending letters, electronic communications or articles that are indecent, grossly offensive, threatening, or contain false information, with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
Self-test
Sections
Section 1 — Offence of sending letters etc. with intent to cause distress or anxiety
It is an offence to send a communication (letter, electronic message, article) that is indecent, grossly offensive, a threat, or contains information known to be false, with the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to the recipient or any other intended reader.
Key points
- Either-way offence — magistrates' or Crown Court.
- Focus on the SENDER's intent, not whether the recipient was actually distressed.
- Covers letters, emails, social-media DMs, voicemails, parcels.
- Defence for threats: the sender reasonably believed the threat was a proper means of reinforcing a demand they were entitled to make.
Grounds / criteria
Indecent or grossly offensive contentThreatFalse information known/believed to be false by the sender