All disposals
Communications· OSA 2023

Section 179 — False communications offence

Offence to send a message containing information the sender knows to be false, intending to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to a likely audience, without reasonable excuse.

Penalty reference

Mode of trial
Either-way
Maximum penalty
51 weeks summary / 12 months indictment + unlimited fine.
Out-of-court eligibility
CR
Caution
Cond. Caution

Triage the circumstances

Quick answers — the engine applies the College/CPS hard rules.

Need a refresher on the terms? See the Glossary.