LOL @ UK laws, you guys are silly, but then again you also allow nonsense like
THIS go go on, so your networking laws are .....
Don't use the open wireless then!
Possessing a network device that you don't configure properly should be YOUR OWN responsibility (any violation of service should be your own fault - if you leave it open/get hacked = your fault) Sorry but ignorance is not really a way to opt-out of responsibility. At least this is how we treat it here.
Doing this would be similar to leaving a live extension cord out in the street, a water hose running 24/7, your windows unlocked, your car unlocked, etc. Irresponsibility.
If you don't understand how something works, don't buy it. WiFi has had easy config options for years now, and even WEP with it's infinite flaws is better than nothing. Yet I still see my neighbors with open routers purchased 2 months ago (WPA2/AES defaults) set to open. I'm tempted to brick them by tftping half a firmware over wlan. Idiots. But I digress.