Parliament of the United Kingdom

“ Subject to subsection (3) below, a person who, knowing that payment on the spot for any goods supplied or service done is required or expected from him, dishonestly makes off without having paid as required or expected and with intent to avoid payment of the amount due shall be guilty of an offence. ”

“ Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Obtaining services by deception. ”

“ A person who by any deception dishonestly obtains services from another shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) It is an obtaining of services where the other is induced to confer a benefit by doing some act, or causing or permitting some act to be done, on the understanding that the benefit has been or will be paid for.
Evasion of liability by deception. 2.— (1) Subject to subsection (2) below, where a person by any deception—
(a) dishonestly secures the remission of the whole or part of any existing liability to make a payment, whether his own liability or anther's ”