Falsifying a death certificate

[Mr_Mauve]

Can anyone tell me, what is the punishment for falsifying death certificates and which legislation and laws apply. I’ve tried looking this info up but it’s really not very clear.

[lgfa92]

s37 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953specifically creates the offence

7 Penalty for forging certificate, etc.

If any person falsifies any certificate, declaration or order under this Act, or knowingly uses, or gives or sends to any person, as genuine any false certificate, declaration or order for the purposes of this Act, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

The penalty under s37 is not high but, if the certificate is being used for another purposes - such as fraud then the charges would be laid under that (and are far higher).



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[2222]

Are you saying that the entire certificate is a forgery? Or has it been done more or less correctly but you disagree with some aspect of it? For example, you disagree with the cause of death shown?