Threats to destroy or damage property
Under section 61 of the Crimes Ordinance, a person commits an offence if he, without lawful excuse makes to another a threat, intending that the other would fear it would be carried out:
- To destroy or damage any property belonging to that other or a third person; or
- To destroy or damage his own property in a way which he knows is likely to endanger the life of that other or a third person.
A threat in the legal sense is not limited to physical violence – it includes any statement or conduct that conveys an intention to cause harm or damage, provided it is serious enough that a reasonable person would fear it might actually be carried out. A threat to destroy or damage property or to damage his own property in a way which he knows may hurt someone else would suffice. For instance, a person who threatens to set fire to his own car, knowing that it might explode and harm people around, would be sufficient to constitute an offence under this section.
The maximum sentence for this offence is 10 years’ imprisonment.
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