Section 49 — Children Act 1989: Abduction of children in care etc.

Abduction of children in care etc. 49 1 A person shall be guilty of an offence if, knowingly and without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, he—

a takes a child to whom this section applies away from the responsible person;

b keeps such a child away from the responsible person; or c induces, assists or incites such a child to run away or stay away from the responsible person.

2 This section applies in relation to a child who is—

a in care;

b the subject of an emergency protection order; or c in police protection, and in this section “ the responsible person ” means any person who for the time being has care of him by virtue of the care order, the emergency protection order, or section 46, as the case may be.

3 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.