s 48 Absence without leave
48.—(1) Any person who is absent without leave shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or any other punishment authorised by this Act. (2) For the purposes of this section, a person is absent without leave if the person —(a) without authority leaves his or her place of duty; (b) without authority is absent from his or her place of duty; (c) having been authorised to be absent from his or her place of duty, fails to return to his or her place of duty at the expiration of the period for which his or her absence was authorised; or (d) having been notified to report for duty fails to report to his or her place of duty without lawful excuse. (3) It is a defence for any person charged with an offence under this section to prove that the person’s absence was a result of circumstances over which the person had no control.[32/2010]