old laws in chester

[zeglover]

is it true that i can kill a welsh man on the walls with a crossbow or sommit as i heard this somewhere. is there any truth in this and can anyone clarify the law if it exsists

stu

[Grunty]

This question comes up every couple of weeks. Sometimes it is Chester, sometimes Hereford and sometimes a Welshman is found on the wrong side of the Long Mynd in Shropshire. If this law ever existed, it is well hidden; I have been searching for it for about 40 years. Anyway, Welshmen have human rights nowadays and you would certainly be judged naughty under another law.

[dzug]

Even if the law still exists, it doesn't apply. If you did it you would be prosecuted under another law which prohibits murder and no-one would take any notice of your claim that it was legal.

[ali_alic]

Its like the law allowing a hackney cab driver to pee up the wheel of their cab. Just because a law hasn't been repealed doesn't mean it will stand up in a court of law - which is a shame as there could be some fun got from various whacky laws (I think in one state of America its illegal to look at a moose througth the window of an aircraft!!)

[Gmcd01]

No this law would most certainly not be upheld in any court in the land. Killing, or aiming to kill or wound, is contrary to the common law of murder, or in your scenario, s.18 of the Offences Against The Person Act (1861). Even if it is hidden in some archaic statute of the statute book in Parliament, there is common sense, human rights and 'natural justice and policy' to consider. It's a nice idea though. Oh, and capitol punishment for treason was also abolished in 1998, that's another popular urban myth. Hope this helps.