Different Laws In Different Countries

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The long and peculiar arm of the law

By Kirk Duncan

There are many offences around which you would be hard pushed to recognise as such. Here is a selection that might - at a push - put you behind bars.

In Scotland, it is illegal to be drunk in possession of a cow.

In Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear - and you must wear a shirt while driving a car.

In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.

In New York, a fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at women in that way".

In France, it is illegal to kiss on the railways. No pig may be addressed as Napoleon by its owner.

In Russia, talks are under way to make kissing in the streets of Moscow illegal. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov says he has had enough of couples kissing on underground trains, in shopping centres and at the cinema. The law should be in force by the beginning of January. First offenders will be given a warning but repeat kissers face fines and possible jail terms.

In Florida, a woman may be fined for falling asleep under a hairdryer - as can the salon owner for allowing her to do so. It is also illegal to sing in a public place while dressed in a swimsuit.

In Cambodia, it is illegal to use water guns in New Year celebrations. Previously, participants had been known to fill water guns with sewage and use them against traffic.

In Singapore, failure to flush a public lavatory after use may result in a hefty fine. It is also illegal to urinate in an elevator. Littering, spitting and smoking in public places are civic offences which attract instant fines. Chewing-gum is prohibited.

In Germany, motorists can be fined for swearing or making derogatory signs.

In Denmark, if a horse-drawn carriage is trying to pass a car and the horse becomes uneasy, the owner of the car is required to pull over and, if necessary, cover the car. And customers are not expected to pay for food at an inn unless they are, in their own opinion, full.

In Canada, it is illegal to kill a sick person by frightening them.

In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10pm if you live in an apartment. Sunday is considered a sacred day: clothes may not be hung out to dry, lawns may not be mown and cars may not be washed.

In Italy, a man may be arrested for wearing a skirt.

And in the UK, according to an ancient bylaw, you can wave your arm to stop a taxi but you must not shout. And it is illegal to eat mince pies or Christmas pudding on Christmas Day. Cromwell implemented this law as the ingredients were considered pagan in origin.

Don't roll in the snow

A French tourist was recently jailed in Finland for rolling for joy in virgin snow. Neighbours were alarmed by his behaviour and alerted police. But the 27-year-old, who could not speak Finnish and had no ID, was unable to explain himself. He was arrested on the spot, police saying: "We felt a warm cell was the safest place for him."

Watch what you wear

In 1999, 10-year-old British tourist Ted Hills was arrested by Barbados airport officials for wearing Marks & Spencer camouflage clothing. Combat clothes are strictly outlawed on the island, but airport officials allowed Hills to leave the airport once he had changed his outfit.

Choose your souvenirs with caution

Earlier this year, a German tourist whose nine-year-old son took pebbles from a beach for a school project was arrested at Antalya airport in Turkey. He has been charged with smuggling "archaeologically valuable national treasures" and could face up to 10 years in prison. Many beaches in Britain are also protected. Budleigh Salterton beach is one such example - East Devon District Council has placed signs warning of a £1,000 fine for "removing beach materials".

Be careful what you photograph

Two years ago, a group of 12 British planespotters were arrested in Greece after being accused of taking illegal photographs of a military airbase. They spent six weeks in some of the worst jails in Greece.

Check your visa

A British woman was arrested in Detroit earlier this year for overstaying her tourist visa by 20 minutes. Adrienne Hughes arrived in Detroit and was promptly arrested for inadvertantly overrunning the 90-day limit on a previous visa. She spent more than seven hours in a interrogation room before being escorted to her flight back to Britain.

Don't smoke

Even the Rolling Stones came close to being arrested for smoking in New York. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was watching their live concert on television at home and was incensed when he saw Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood light up on stage in defiance of the venue's no-smoking policy. He sent police to halt the show at Madison Square Garden - but officers ended up watching the show and failed to catch the band afterwards.

Drunkenness

In Saudi Arabia and Iran, there are severe punishments for drinking or possessing alcohol and, in many other countries, public drunkeness carries the risk of arrest.

Earlier this year, during a police clampdown on drunken holidaymakers in Faliraki, Rhodes, Jemma Gunning, 18, had to pay £1,500 bail for bearing her breasts in a nightclub. Max Delahunty-James, 20, and his girlfriend, Kerrie-Ann Pritchard, 19, had to cough up £1,260 each to avoid a seven-month prison sentence after Pritchard bared her bottom at police.