Section 158Part 5 — Offences Injurious to the Public in General
Idle and disorderly persons
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158. A person who —
wanders abroad or places themselves in any public place for the purpose of gathering alms, or who causes any child so to do;
being a common prostitute, behaves in a disorderly or indecent manner in a public place;
pretends to deal in obeah, myalism, duppy catching or witchcraft or to tell fortunes by palmistry or like superstitious means intending to deceive or impose on people;
publicly does any indecent act; Penal Code (2026 Revision) Section 159 c Revised as at 31st December, 2025 Page 69
in any public place conducts themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace;
solicits for immoral purposes in any public place;
in any public place plays any game or pretended game of chance for money’s worth;
endeavours to obtain or actually obtains charitable contributions of any kind unless authorised in that behalf by the Cabinet; or
having no visible lawful means of subsistence and, being able to labour, habitually abstains from working at any trade, profession or calling: Provided that the prosecution shall not be bound to prove that such person has no visible lawful means of subsistence and does not habitually work, but it shall be for that person to prove that that person has lawful means of subsistence or that that person does habitually work at a trade, profession or calling, shall be deemed an idle and disorderly person and shall be liable to a fine of two thousand dollars and to imprisonment for four years.