At the end of section forty-four of the Army Act, 1955 (which provides for the punishment, with imprisonment or any less punishment provided by that Act, of a person subject to military law who commits the offences specified in that section in relation to public or service property) there shall be added the following subsections:—
“(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this section, any person subject to military law who—
(a)wilfully damages, or is concerned in the willful damage of, any of Her Majesty's aircraft or aircraft material, or
(b)by wilful neglect causes damage to, or the loss of, any of Her Majesty's aircraft or aircraft material, or
(c)without lawful authority disposes of any of Her Majesty's aircraft or aircraft material,
shall, on conviction by court-martial, be liable to imprisonment or any less punishment provided by this Act.
(3)Any person subject to military law who, during a state of war, wilfully and without proper occasion or negligently causes the sequestration by or under the authority of a neutral state or the destruction in a neutral state of any of Her Majesty's aircraft shall, on conviction by court-martial, be liable to imprisonment or any less punishment provided by this Act:
Provided that if he has not acted wilfully or with wilful neglect he shall not be liable to imprisonment for a term exceeding two years”.