Law in the UK

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Název DUM Law in the UK

Označení DUM VY_32_INOVACE_08_3_01

Autor Mgr. Dagmar Daňková

Datum 19. 02. 2013

Vzdělávací oblast Jazyk a jazyková komunikace

Vzdělávací obor Cizí jazyk

Tematický okruh Anglicky mluvící země

Ročník 3. – 4. ročník gymnázia (úroveň B2+)

How much do you know about law in the UK?

• There is a quiz on some points of law in the UK.

• The answers may well be different in our country.

• Simply answer the question YES or NO. Then try to explain and justify your opinion.

Question 1

• Is it a crime to try and kill yourself?

Answer 1

• NO, not any more.The Suicide Act 1961 decriminalised the act of suicide so that those who failed in the attempt would no longer be prosecuted.

Question 2

• Is it illegal to help somebody to commit suicide?

Answer 2

• YES, even mercy-killing (euthanasia) is against the law.

Question 3

• Can you be executed for murdering a policeman?

Answer 3

• NO, capital punishment was abolished in the 1960s.

Question 4

• If I surprise an intruder in my lounge at night stealing my millions, have I a legal right to assault him with a weapon?

Answer 4

• NO, only in self-defence.

Question 5

• Can the police stop you in your car at any time?

Answer 5

• YES, but they have to have a reason, e.g. a light that isn´t working.

Question 6

• If I promise to marry my girlfriend and then change my mind shortly before the wedding, can she take me to court?

Answer 6

• NO, not now. Some years ago she could have sued you for breach of promise.

Question 7

• Can you have more than one wife or husband in the UK?

Answer 7

• NO, this is called bigamy/polygamy and you can go to prison for up to seven years for this.

• However, there is a dramatic rise in number of Muslim men taking the second or even third wife.

• In order to avoid breaking Britain’s matrimony laws, the men marry their extra ‘wives’ in an Islamic ceremony, either in their own homes or a mosque.

Question 8

• If you said to your teacher in the middle of one of his/her lessons: “You don´t know the first thing about teaching!“ could he/ she bring a civil action against you?

Answer 8

• YES. He/she could claim it was a slander (or libel, if you wrote it in a newspaper).

Question 9

• Can the police hold you for three days before charging you?

Answer 9

• NO, you can only be held for 24 hours by the police without a charge; with special permission it can be for up to seven days without a charge, e.g. for terrorism suspects.

Question 10

• Would I be in a danger of committing an offence if I put an advertisement for my school in the paper saying: “Male white teacher required“?

Answer 10

• YES, because of the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act.

Question 11

• If you were in my house – uninvited – and the ceiling, which had had a large crack in it for some time, caved in and broke your leg, would it be a good idea to consult your solicitor?

Answer 11

• YES. You could sue me for negligence and I would probably have to pay damages.

Question 12

• Can a person suspected of and charged with rape be allowed bail?

Answer 12

• YES

• Essentially, the principles of putting a defendant on bail are to try to ensure the defendant returns for the court hearing or to the police station whilst in the meantime the police will carry out their investigations.

Question 13

• Do the British police carry guns when on duty?

Answer 13

• NO, except in certain locations such as airports and railway stations.

Question 14

• Can you be imprisoned for the cruelty to animals?

Answer 14

• YES, in the United Kingdom, cruelty to animals is a criminal offence for which one may be jailed for up to 51 weeks and may be fined up to £20,000.

• This has a very long tradition. In 1911, the House of Commons introduced the Protection of Animals Act 1911 following lobbying by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

• The Act of 1911 was replaced by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Question 15

• Do the members of jury get paid?

Answer 15

• NO, they do not get paid but they get a small amount of money for each day they are away from work.

• A jury is a group of twelve ordinary men and women from the local town or city. In court, they cannot ask questions but must listen to the evidence from both sides. Their job is to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty.

Zdroje

• SMITH, Jo. Exploring British culture: multi-level activities about life in the UK. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-052-1186-421.

• WELLMAN, Guy. The Heinemann English Wordbuilder. Praha: SPN, 1991. ISBN 80-04-26001-2.

• Bail. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, 2001- [cit. 2012-12-20]. Dostupné z: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail

• Cruelty to animals. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, 2001- [cit. 2012-12-20]. Dostupné z: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals#United_Kingdom

• Legal status of polygamy. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, 2001- [cit. 2013-02-20]. Dostupné z: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_polygamy