{"id":6357,"date":"2018-03-07T09:26:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T09:26:55","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-09-29T11:50:10","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T11:50:10","slug":"bird-v-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawteacher.net\/cases\/bird-v-jones.php","title":{"rendered":"Bird v Jones – 1845"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legal Case Summary<\/h2>\n

Bird v. Jones [1845] 7 QB 742<\/strong><\/p>\n

False imprisonment \u2013 obstruction of a public road<\/p>\n

Facts<\/h3>\n

Bird, B, wished to cross a section of a public road which was closed off due to a boat race. Two policemen, D, prevented B from passing in the direction he wished to go, but was allowed to go in the only other direction in which he could pass. B refused to go in that direction and stood in the same place. B raised an action against D for false imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Issues<\/h3>\n

B claimed that the exclusion from using a section of the public road which prohibited him from moving in one direction, despite all other directions remaining unobstructed, constituted false imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Decision\/Outcome<\/h3>\n

Partial obstruction and disturbance does not constitute imprisonment. Coleridge J. stated at paragraph 744 of his judgement that:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201ca prison may have its boundary large or narrow, visible and tangible, or, though real, still in the conception only; it may itself be moveable or fixed: but a boundary it must have; and that boundary the party imprisoned must be prevented from passing; he must be prevented from leaving that place, within the ambit of which the party imprisoning would confine him, except by prison-breach.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A prison must therefore have a boundary. As there was still one direction which B could take, he could not be said to have been imprisoned as he was not confined and prevented from passing or leaving that place. B was at liberty to move off in another direction and no restraint or actual force was used against him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bird, B, wished to cross a section of a public road which was closed off due to a boat race. Two policemen, D, prevented B from passing in the direction he wished to go, but was allowed to go in the only other direction in which he could pass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85],"class_list":["post-6357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cases","tag-uk-law"],"yoast_head":"\nBird v Jones - 1845 | LawTeacher.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bird, B, wished to cross a section of a public road which was closed off due to a boat race. 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