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Treason laws could be abolished

The ancient laws of treason could be scrapped under plans to simplify the legal system.

Offences relating to crimes against the Royal Family, some of which date back to 1351, are a "motley lot" whose usefulness is "questionable", according to the Law Commission.

It proposed a "simplification" and "pruning" of the historic laws as part of a comprehensive reform programme.

The review could also see the repeal of the offence of public nuisance, a new definition of the insanity defence and a new crime of ransom kidnapping.

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