Odger's English Common Law

224 OFFENCES AGAINST MORALITY AND PUBLIC DECENCY.
By the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885, 1 every
person commits an offence punishable on summary conviction
by fine or imprisonment who keeps or manages or acts or assists
in the management of a brothel ; or who, being the tenant,
lessee, occupier or person in charge of any premises, knowingly
permits such premises or any part thereof to be used as a
brothel; or who, being the lessor or landlord of any premises,
or the agent of such lessor or landlord, lets the same or any
part thereof with the knowledge that they are to be used as
a brothel.
In order to be a brothel it is not essential that any indecency or disorder
should be visible from the outside, 2 but the premises must be used as a
brothel and not merely as the residence of a siDgle prostitute. 3 The fact
that the defendant " acted or behaved as master or mistress, or as the
person having the care, government or management of the house, is
sufficient evidence that he or she kept " the brothel.
Upon the conviction of a tenant for permitting the demised
premises to be used as a brothel, his landlord can require him
to assign the lease of the premises to a third person, to .be
approved by the landlord; if the tenant does not do so within
three months, the lease will be forfeited. And if after the
conviction has been brought to his notice the landlord fails to
exercise this right and the place is again used as a brothel,
the landlord may be convicted of aiding and abetting the
offence. 4 Again, by the Licensing (Consolidation) Act, 1910, 5
a licensed person, who permits his promises to be used as
a brothel, is liable to a penalty of £20 and at once forfeits his
licence, 6 and is disqualified for ever from holding any licence
for the sale of intoxicating liquors.
Abortion.
It is a felony punishable with penal servitude for life for
any woman, being with child, to unlawfully administer to
1 48 & 49 Vict. c. 69, s. 13, as amendeil by 2 & 3 Geo. V. c. 20 s 4 (11
2 B. v. Bice (1866), L. E. 1 C. C. R. 21.
3 Singleton v. Ellison, [1896] 1 Q. B. 607 ; and see Durose v. Wilson (1907) v 96
L. T. 645.
''
' 2 & 3 Geo. V. c. 20, s. 5.
« 10 Edw. VII. & 1 Geo. V. c. 24, s. 77.
6 B. v. West Biding Justices (1888), 21 Q. B. D. 258.