The lawyers in Sykes v. Director of Public Prosecutions ( 1962 ) AC 528 , described the offence as `` obsolete '' . Section 13 ( 1 ) ( a ) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 did away with it . Counsel in Sykes v. Director of Public Prosecutions ( 1962 ) AC 528 described the offence as `` obsolete '' , and section 13 ( 1 ) ( a ) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 eventually abolished it .