Legislation – Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015
PART 1
SINGLE JURISDICTION FOR COUNTY COURTS AND MAGISTRATES’ COURTS
1 Single jurisdiction: abolition of county court divisions and petty sessions districts
2 Administrative court divisions
3 Directions as to distribution of business
PART 2
COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL
CHAPTER 1 RESTRICTION ON HOLDING OF PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS AND MIXED COMMITTALS
8 Mixed committals: evidence on oath at preliminary inquiry
CHAPTER 2 DIRECT COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL IN CERTAIN CASES
10 Direct committal: indication of intention to plead guilty
11 Direct committal: specified offences
12 Direct committal: offences related to specified offences
13 Direct committal: procedures
14 Specified offences: application to dismiss
15 Restrictions on reporting applications for dismissal
16 Supplementary and consequential provisions
PART 3
PROSECUTORIAL FINES
17 Prosecutorial fine: notice of offer
19 Amount of prosecutorial fine
20 Restrictions on prosecutions
21 Payment of prosecutorial fine
22 Failure to pay prosecutorial fine
24 Registration of sum payable in default
25 Challenge to notice of registration
26 Setting aside of sum enforceable under section 24
27 Interpretation of this Part
PART 4
VICTIMS AND WITNESSES
31 Procedure for issuing Charters
33 Persons to be afforded opportunity to make victim statement
36 Disclosure for purposes of victim and witness support services and victim information schemes
PART 5
CRIMINAL RECORDS
37 Restriction on information provided to certain persons
38 Minimum age for applicants for certificates or to be registered
39 Additional grounds for refusing an application to be registered
40 Enhanced criminal record certificates: additional safeguards
41 Review of criminal record certificates
43 Applications for enhanced criminal record certificates
44 Electronic transmission of applications
45 Disclosures by Department of Justice to Disclosure and Barring Service
46 Inclusion of cautions and other diversionary disposals in criminal records
PART 6
CHILD PROTECTION DISCLOSURES
48 Child protection disclosures
PART 7
LIVE LINKS IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
49 Live links: accused at committal proceedings
50 Live links from another courtroom: first remands,
51 Live links: proceedings for failure to comply with certain orders or licence conditions
52 Live links: expert witnesses
53 Live links: witnesses outside the United Kingdom
54 Live links: patients detained in hospital under Mental Health Order
PART 8
VIOLENT OFFENCES PREVENTION ORDERS
55 Violent offences prevention orders
56 Violent offences prevention order made on conviction, etc.
57 Violent offences prevention order made on application of Chief Constable
59 Provisions that violent offences prevention orders may contain
60 Variation, renewal or discharge of violent offences prevention orders
61 Interim violent offences prevention orders
64 Offenders subject to notification requirements
65 Notification requirements: initial notification
66 Notification requirements: changes
67 Notification requirements: periodic notification
68 Notification requirements: absence from notified residence
69 Notification requirements: travel outside the United Kingdom
70 Method of notification and related matters
72 Supply of information to relevant Northern Ireland departments or Secretary of State
73 Supply of information by relevant Northern Ireland departments or Secretary of State
74 Information about release or transfer
75 Power of entry and search of offender’s home address
76 Interpretation of this Part
PART 9
MISCELLANEOUS
77 Removal of maximum age for jury service
79 Persons disqualified for jury service
80 Persons ineligible for jury service
81 Persons excusable as of right from jury service
82 Unpaid community service after early release
83 Power to take further fingerprints or non-intimate samples
84 Retention of material: persons convicted of an offence in England and Wales or Scotland
85 Retention of DNA profiles or fingerprints: persons given a prosecutorial fine
86 Power to retain DNA profile or fingerprints in connection with different offence
87 Retention of personal samples that are or may be disclosable
89 Meeting a child following sexual grooming etc.
90 Sexual communication with a child
91 General duty to progress criminal proceedings
92 Case management regulations
93 Public Prosecutor’s summons
95 Powers of court security officers
96 Causing or allowing child or vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm
97 Domestic violence protection notices and orders
98 Aims of youth justice system
99 Amendment to section 10 of the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2013
100 Salary of Lands Tribunal members
PART 10
SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS
102 Regulations, orders and directions
104 Transitional provisions, etc.
SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE 1 AMENDMENTS: SINGLE JURISDICTION
SCHEDULE 2 AMENDMENTS: DIRECT COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL
SCHEDULE 4 SCHEDULE INSERTED AS SCHEDULE 8A TO THE POLICE ACT 1997
SCHEDULE 5 AMENDMENTS: CRIMINAL RECORDS
SCHEDULE 6 AMENDMENTS: SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM TO CHILD OR VULNERABLE ADULT
SCHEDULE 7 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION NOTICES AND ORDERS
Changes to legislation:
Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015, Section 12 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 13 December 2025. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
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PART 2COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL
CHAPTER 2DIRECT COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL IN CERTAIN CASES
Direct committal for trial: offences related to specified offences
Direct committal: offences related to specified offences12
(1)
Where—
(a)
this Chapter applies in relation to an accused (“A”) who—
(i)
is charged with an offence (“offence A”) which is not a specified offence, and
(ii)
is not also charged with a specified offence,
(b)
A appears or is brought before the court on the same occasion as another person (“B”) charged with a specified offence,
(c)
the court commits B for trial for the specified offence under section 11, and
(d)
offence A appears to the court to be related to the specified offence for which the court commits B for trial,
the court shall forthwith commit A to the Crown Court for trial for offence A.
(2)
Where—
(a)
this Chapter applies in relation to an accused (“A”) who—
(i)
is charged with an offence (“offence A”) which is not a specified offence, and
(ii)
is not also charged with a specified offence,
(b)
on a previous occasion another person (“B”) has appeared or been brought before the court charged with a specified offence,
(c)
the court has on that occasion committed B for trial for the specified offence under section 11, and
(d)
offence A appears to the court to be related to the specified offence for which the court committed B for trial,
the court may forthwith commit A to the Crown Court for trial for offence A if the court considers that it is necessary or appropriate in the interests of justice to do so.
(3)
Where the court commits the accused for trial for an offence under this section—
(a)
it shall accordingly not conduct committal proceedings in relation to that offence; and
(b)
the functions of the court then cease in relation to that offence, except as provided by—
(i)
section 13; or
(ii)
Article 29(2)(a) of the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 or any regulations under Article 26(3) of the Access to Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.
(4)
For the purposes of this section an offence is related to a specified offence if a count charging the offence could be included in the same indictment as a count charging the specified offence.