Odger's English Common Law

234 OFFENCES AGAINST MORALITY AND PUBLIC DECENCY.
or a rogue and vagabond, or an incorrigible rogue, and is reasonably
suspected to be harboured or concealed in any house kept for lodging or
reception of travellers, a justice may grant a warrant to enter such house
at any time and search for and arrest any such person as above found
therein. 1
Under the Vagrancy Act, 1898, 2 " Every male person, who
(a) knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings of
prostitution, or
(h) in any public place persistently solicits or importunes
for immoral purposes,
shall be deemed a ' rogue and vagabond' within the meaning of
the Vagrancy Act, 1824, and may be dealt with accordingly,"
or he may be indicted for this offence and sentenced to
imprisonment with hard labour for two years; and on a
second conviction he may also be ordered to be whipped. 3
It is open to anyone to swear an information that there
is reason to suspect that a house or a part of a house is
being used by a woman for the purpose of prostitution, and
that a man residing in or frequenting the house is living
wholly or in part on the earnings of the woman. In such a
case, the magistrate, before whom the information is laid,
may issue a warrant authorising any constable to enter and
search the house, and to arrest the man.
Where a man is proved to live with or to be habitually in
the company of a prostitute, or is proved to have such control
over the prostitute as to show that he is aiding or compelling
her prostitution, he will be deemed to be " knowingly living
on the earnings of prostitution," unless he can prove to the
satisfaction of the Court that he is not. *
Cruelty to Animals.
Cruelty to animals is also an offence against morality. The
law relating to it will be found in the Protection of Animals
Act, 1911, 5 which has repealed many former Acts upon the
subject.
1 5 Geo. IV. c. 83, s. 13.
a 61 & 62 Vict. c. 39, s. 1(1).
»2 & 3 Geo. V. o. 20, =. 7 (5).
< 61 & 62 Vict. c. 39, n. 1 (3), as amended by 2 & 3 Geo. V. c. 20, s. 7 (1).
* 1 & 2 Geo. V. c 27.