SO ME POINTS IN LA W 53 



Acts when at least three persons are together and any 

 of them are armed with firearms, bludgeons, or other 

 offensive weapons. But this does not make it lawful 

 for single individuals to trespass by night in pursuit of 

 rabbits. A person caught on the ground with poaching 

 instruments, such as nets, and charged with being there 

 in pursuit of game, could hardly defend himself by 

 saying he only meant to take rabbits. 



Arrest of night poachers. Any person committing 

 the offence first mentioned may be arrested and given 

 into custody by the owner or occupier, or by his game- 

 keeper or servant, or any one assisting such gamekeeper 

 or servant, wherever he may be seized, provided the 

 pursuit started on the land. Any one committing the 

 offence second mentioned may be similarly arrested and 

 given into custody, provided the seizure be made, or 

 the pursuit begun, on the land on which the offence is 

 committed. In either of these cases an assault by the 

 offender on any person authorised to arrest him is a 

 serious aggravation of the offence. A person authorised 

 to make such arrest may, without being guilty of assault, 

 use sufficient violence to effect this arrest. In Scotland 

 a person not so authorised would commit an assault by 

 the attempt to arrest and be liable in damages to the 

 poacher if he used violence, while the poacher who 

 violently resisted the unauthorised attempt to arrest 

 him would be justifiably acting in self-defence. In 

 England and Ireland the Prevention of Offences Act, 

 1851, section n, authorises any person whatsoever to 



