Section 10: Obstruction of enforcement officers and court officers executing High Court or county court process .

Criminal Law Act 1977 · 1977 c.45

Part II: Offences Relating to Entering and Remaining on Property

10(A1)

A person is guilty of an offence if he resists or intentionally obstructs any person who—

(a) is an enforcement officer, or is acting under the authority of an enforcement officer; and

(b) is engaged in executing a writ issued from the High Court.

10(1)

Without prejudice to section 8(2) of the Sheriffs Act 1887 but subject to the following provisions of this section, a person is guilty of an offence if he resists or intentionally obstructs any person who is in fact an officer of a court engaged in executing any process issued by the High Court or the county court for the purpose of enforcing any judgment or order for the recovery of any premises or for the delivery of possession of any premises.

10(2)

Subsection (1) above does not apply unless the judgment or order in question was given or made in proceedings brought under any provisions of rules of court applicable only in circumstances where the person claiming possession of any premises alleges that the premises in question are occupied solely by a person or persons (not being a tenant or tenants holding over after the termination of the tenancy) who entered into or remained in occupation of the premises without the licence or consent of the person claiming possession or any predecessor in title of his.

10(3)

In any proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be a defence for the accused to prove that he believed that the person he was resisting or obstructing was not an enforcement officer, a person acting under the authority of an enforcement officer or an officer of a court (as the case may be) .

10(4)

A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.

10(5)

... an enforcement officer or any officer of a court may arrest without warrant anyone who is, or whom he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be, guilty of an offence under this section.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.