Legislation – Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015
Changes to legislation:
Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, Section 70 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 16 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.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to Section 70:
- s. 21(8)(d)(e) substituted for s. 21(8)(d) by 2025 asc 1 Sch. 1 para. 6(2)
- s. 21(8)(ba)(bb) inserted by 2025 asc 1 Sch. 2 para. 5(2)
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 21(8)(d)(e) substituted for s. 21(8)(d) by 2025 asc 1 Sch. 1 para. 6(2)
- s. 21(8)(ba)(bb) inserted by 2025 asc 1 Sch. 2 para. 5(2)
PART 3Courts and tribunals
Juries and members of the Court Martial
70Jurors and electronic communications devices: powers of search etc
(1)
Part 4 of the Courts Act 2003 (court security officers) is amended as follows.
(2)
“54APowers in relation to jurors’ electronic communications devices
(1)
This section applies where an order has been made under section 15A of the Juries Act 1974 (surrender of electronic communications devices by jurors) in respect of the members of a jury.
(2)
A court security officer acting in the execution of the officer’s duty must, if ordered to do so by a judge, search a member of the jury in order to determine whether the juror has failed to surrender an electronic communications device in accordance with the order.
(3)
Subsection (2) does not authorise the officer to require a person to remove clothing other than a coat, jacket, headgear, gloves or footwear.
(4)
If the search reveals a device which is required by the order to be surrendered—
(a)
the officer must ask the juror to surrender the device, and
(b)
if the juror refuses to do so, the officer may seize it.
(5)
In this section, “electronic communications device” means a device that is designed or adapted for a use which consists of or includes the sending or receiving of signals that are transmitted by means of an electronic communications network (as defined in section 32 of the Communications Act 2003).”
(3)
In section 55 (powers to retain articles surrendered or seized)—
(a)
“(1A)
Subject to subsection (2), a court security officer may retain an article which was—
(a)
surrendered in response to a request under section 54A(4)(a), or
(b)
seized under section 54A(4)(b),
until the end of the period specified in the relevant order under section 15A of the Juries Act 1974.”, and
(b)
“(a)
the time specified in subsection (1) or (1A) (as appropriate), or”.
(4)
In section 56(1)(a) (regulations about retention of articles)—
(a)
in sub-paragraph (i), after “54(1)” insert “
, and
or 54A(4)(a)
”
(b)
in sub-paragraph (ii), after “54(2)” insert “
.
or 54A(4)(b)
”