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Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951
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Also see here for further information
       
  14 & 15 Geo. 6
Fraudulent Mediums
Act, 1951
  
       
   
Chapter 33
  
       
   
An Act to repeal the Witchcraft Act, 1735 and to make, in substitution for certain provisions of section four of the Vagrancy Act 1824, express provision for the punishment of persons who fraudulently purport to act as spiritualistic mediums or to exercise powers of telepathy, clairvoyance or other similar powers.
  
   
[22 June 1951.]
    
         
 
B
e it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
    
         
    1.-(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, any person
who-
 Punishment
of fraudulent
mediums, &
 
(a) with intent to deceive purports to act as a spiritualistic medium or to exercise any powers of telepathy, clairvoyance or other similar powers, or
  
 
(b) in purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium or to exercise such powers as aforesaid, uses any fraudulent device,
  
  shall be guilty of an offence.  
     
 
(2) A person shall not be convicted of an offence under the foregoing subsection unless it is proved that he acted for reward; and for the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to act for reward if any money is paid, or other valuable thing given, in respect of what he does, whether to him or to any other person.
  
     
 
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding (the prescribed sum) or to imprisonment for a tern not exceeding four months or to both such fine and such imprisonment, or on conviction on indictment to a fine... or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
  
     
 
(4) No proceedings for an offence under this section shall be, brought in England or Wales except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
  
     
 
(5) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section shall apply to anything done solely for the purpose of entertainment
  
     
Repeals.
2.- Repeals
The following enactments are hereby repealed, that is to
say-
  
  9 Geo. 2. c.5 .  
(a) the Witchcraft Act 1735, so far as still in force, and
  
  5 Geo. 4. c. 83   (b) section four of the Vagrancy Act 1824 so far as it extends to persons purporting to act as spiritualistic mediums or to exercise any powers of telepathy, clairvoyance or other similar powers, or to persons who, in purporting so to act or to exercise such powers, use fraudulent devices.  
     
  Short title and extent.
3.-(1) This Act may be cited as the Fraudulent Mediums Act, 1951.
  
    (2) This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.  
     
Other information about the Fraudulent mediums Act 1951
For those mediums who care about this Act I believe that the scam to avoid prosection is to charge for the hire of your room but give the sitting for free.
Amazingly some people have actually been prosecuted. If I can find out any more detail about these cases I'll include it here.
Number of prosecutions at magistrates' courts and convictions at all courts for offences under section (1) of the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951, 1980-1995
England and Wales
Prosecutions
Convictions
 
1980
      
1981
      
1982
      
1983
      
1984
1
1
  
1985
1
--
  
1986
1
1
  
1987
      
1988
      
1989
      
1990
1
1
  
1991
1
1
  
1992
1
1
  
1993
 
1994
      
1995
      
     
There's also an interesting article here from This is Bolton 1952
http://www.thisisbolton.co.uk/lancashire/bolton/bygone/FEB02BYGONE27.html

 

The Fraudulent Mediums Act replaced the Witchcraft Act, 1735. One of the last people to be prosecuted under the Witchcraft Act was Helen Duncan. You can read about her here:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/lrb/articles/0,6109,485358,00.html
and if you want to buy the book go here:
cover  
Hellish Nell: the Last of Britain's...  
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