offence under statute

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "offence under statute" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in legal contexts to refer to a violation of a specific law or regulation. For example, "The defendant was charged with an offence under statute for failing to comply with safety regulations." Alternative expressions include "statutory offence" and "violation of statute."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The articles appear to make the mistake of combining voicemail interception (an offence under statute) and voicemail accessing (a probable breach of privacy) and putting them into the same basket.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Wilde was arrested for "gross indecency" under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, a term meaning homosexual acts not amounting to buggery (an offence under a separate statute).

Wikipedia

"And not a single one under statute".

The New York Times

The Supreme Court has upheld this power under statute -- twice.

Huffington Post

Such attacks are a criminal offence under Dutch law.

Independent

This constituted a criminal offence under Swedish law.

The Guardian

"Potential offences were considered under the Public Order (NI) Order 1987, in particular an offence under Article 9 (stirring up hatred).

The Guardian

But he was charged with murder, a common-law offence, rather than with an offence under counter-terrorism legislation.

The Guardian

"Disturbance is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act".

BBC

The supply of anabolic agents is a criminal offence under UK law.

British Journal of Nutrition

The United Kingdom must come into line with global efforts to remove this offence from the statute books.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In British English, stick to the spelling "offence", whereas in American English, "offense" is the standard spelling for this phrase.

Common error

Do not say "illegal offence under statute". Since an offence is by definition a violation of law, adding illegal is redundant. Simply state it is an "offence under statute" to maintain professional and concise legal prose.

Linguistic Context

This phrase functions as a formal noun phrase used to categorize a legal infraction. It identifies a specific act as a crime by grounding it in written legislation (statute). In Ludwig, this structure is frequently seen in reporting on criminal proceedings where the legal foundation of a charge must be clarified.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

20%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Formal & Business

4%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "offence under statute" is a cornerstone of legal and journalistic English, used to denote a crime that is specifically defined and prohibited by a written law. Ludwig AI identifies it as a highly reliable and correct expression, particularly prevalent in British publications like The Guardian and BBC. It serves as a more formal alternative to "statutory offence" and is essential for writers who need to specify the legislative authority behind a legal charge. Whether you are discussing cybercrime, public order or historic legal cases like those involving Oscar Wilde, this phrase provides the necessary technical grounding to your writing. It is characterized by its high authority and consistent usage in formal contexts where legal precision is paramount.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

statutory offence

Uses the adjective form of statute to create a more concise noun phrase

violation of statute

Uses the noun violation to emphasize the act of breaking the law

statutory violation

A more common American English phrasing for legal infractions

offence under legislation

Swaps the specific term statute for the broader term legislation

offence under the Act

Refers to a specific piece of legislation rather than statute in general

contravention of the statute

Uses more formal vocabulary to describe the act of going against the law

offence created by statute

Emphasizes the origin of the legal prohibition

criminal offence under law

Adds the descriptor criminal and generalizes statute to law

breach of statutory duty

Specifically refers to failing to perform a legal requirement

legally defined offence

Focuses on the precise definition within the legal code

FAQs

How to use "offence under statute" in a sentence?

You can use it to identify the legal basis of a crime, such as: "Voicemail interception is a serious <a href="/s/offence+under+statute" target="_blank" rel="alternative">offence under statute that carries heavy penalties."

What can I say instead of "offence under statute"?

Depending on your context, you could use "<a href="/s/statutory+offence" target="_blank" rel="alternative">statutory offence", "<a href="/s/violation+of+statute" target="_blank" rel="alternative">violation of statute" or "<a href="/s/breach+of+law" target="_blank" rel="alternative">breach of law".

What is the difference between an "offence under statute" and a "common law offence"?

An "offence under statute" is created by a legislative body (like Parliament), while a "<a href="/s/common+law+offence" target="_blank" rel="alternative">common law offence" is established through court decisions and legal precedent.

Is "offence under statute" formal?

Yes, it is highly formal and primarily used in legal documents, academic writing and serious journalism. For a more neutral tone, you might use "<a href="/s/legal+violation" target="_blank" rel="alternative">legal violation".