Many people got themselves in a tizz claiming Piers Morgan broke the law earlier this week when he tore a new £5 note in half with his teeth - but it isn’t actually an offence to do this.
According to the Law Commission, it is an offence, however, to deface banknotes by printing, stamping or writing on it. It is also illegal to destroy a metal coin that has been current in the UK since 1969.
In fact there are many oddities in our legal system - it’s illegal, for example, to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a dwelling house.
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