A person may be charged with an offence under this section even if he could on the same facts be charged with a different service offence.

In subsection (4) “a summary offence” and “an indictable offence” mean, respectively, a summary offence under the law of England and Wales and an indictable offence under that law.

In this section and sections 45 to 49 “act” includes an omission and references to the doing of an act are to be read accordingly.

In subsections (1) and (8) and sections 45 to 49 “punishable” means punishable with a criminal penalty.

Subsection (2) applies for the purpose of determining whether an attempt is an offence under section 42.

For that purpose section 1(4) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 (c. 47) (offences that it is an offence to attempt) has effect as if for the words from “offence which” to “other than” there were substituted “ offence under section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 consisting of an act punishable by the law of England and Wales as an indictable offence or an act that, if done in England or Wales, would be so punishable by that law; but “indictable offence” here does not include ”.

Section 42(6) applies for the purposes of section 1(4) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 as modified by this section.

Where, in proceedings for a section 42 offence of attempt, there is evidence sufficient in law to support a finding that the defendant did an act falling within subsection (1) of section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981, the question whether his act fell within that subsection is a question of fact.

In this section “a section 42 offence of attempt” means an offence under section 42 consisting of an act that is, or that would be if done in England or Wales, an offence under section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 (c. 47).

References in subsections (1) and (2) to section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 are to that provision as it has effect by virtue of section 43 above.

Section 42(6) applies for the purposes of section 1(2) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 as substituted by this section.

Subsection (2) applies if a person subject to service law, or a civilian subject to service discipline, encourages or assists the doing of an act (or one or more of a number of acts) that, if done in England or Wales, would be punishable by the law of England and Wales.

Regardless of where that act (or those acts) might be done and of his state of mind with respect to that question, his encouragement or assistance shall be treated for the purposes of section 42(1) as an act that is punishable by the law of England and Wales (so far as it is not such an act in any event).

Reference in this section to encouraging or assisting is to an act that would constitute an offence under Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 disregarding any provision in that Part about the place where the act (or acts) being encouraged or assisted might be done or the accused's state of mind with respect to that question.

Regardless of where the act aided, abetted, counselled or procured was done, the aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring shall be treated for the purposes of section 42(1) as an act that is punishable by the law of England and Wales.

For the purpose of determining whether an attempt is an act that falls within subsection (1)(a) above, section 1(4) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 (c. 47) has effect with the modification made by section 43.

For the following purposes it shall be assumed that the contemplated act amounted to the offence under the law of England and Wales that it would have amounted to if it had been the equivalent act in England or Wales.

If a person subject to service law, or a civilian subject to service discipline, does in or in relation to a military aircraft any act that if done in or in relation to a civil aircraft would amount to a prescribed Air Navigation Order offence, the act shall be treated for the purposes of section 42(1) as punishable by the law of England and Wales.

In this section—

• “military aircraft” has the meaning given by section 92 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 (c. 16);

• “civil aircraft” means an aircraft that is registered in the United Kingdom and is not a military aircraft;

• “Air Navigation Order offence” means an offence under an Order in Council made under section 60 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 (whenever made, and whether or not also made under any other enactment);

• “prescribed” means prescribed by an order made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section.