Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2004

Year2004


Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland)Act 2004

asp 5

[4th June 2004]

and received Royal Assent on

[28th April 2004]

The Bill for this Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision, in connection with proceedings in the High Court of Justiciary, for the holding of preliminary hearings prior to the trial diet; to make new provision as to the continuation of the trial diet in proceedings in the High Court; to amend the time limit for commencement of the trial in proceedings in the High Court; in connection with solemn criminal proceedings generally, to amend the consequences of failure to comply with time limits, to make further provision as to citation of the accused, witnesses and jurors, to require any solicitor engaged by the accused to notify the court and the prosecutor of his engagement, withdrawal and dismissal, to make new provision as to the procedure where the trial diet does not proceed, to enable the trial to be conducted in the absence of the accused in certain circumstances, to provide for the apprehension, detention and release on bail of obstructive witnesses, to enable notices and other documents to be served on the accused through his solicitor, to restate with modifications certain provisions in relation to the raising of preliminary pleas and issues and to make new provision as to the adjournment and alteration of diets; to enable persons to be released on bail subject to a requirement that their compliance with conditions of bail restricting their movements be remotely monitored; to make provision entitling the prosecutor to be heard on certain applications relating to bail; to make further provision as to the matters to be dealt with by the sheriff court at a first diet in solemn proceedings; to make new provision as to the procedure to be followed by the court in sentencing offenders who have pled guilty; to increase from three to five years the maximum extended sentence that may be imposed by a sheriff on persons convicted on indictment of certain violent and sexual offences; to make new provision as to the citation of witnesses for precognition by the prosecutor; to clarify when criminal proceedings are finally determined for the purposes of section 10 of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 (asp 5); and for connected purposes.

1 Proceedings in the High Court

Part 1

Proceedings in the High Court

Preliminary hearings

Preliminary hearings

S-1 Preliminary hearings

1 Preliminary hearings

1 Preliminary hearings

(1) In subsection (6) of section 66 (service and lodging of indictment etc.) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (c.46) (referred to in this Act as ‘the 1995 Act’)—

(a) in paragraph (a)—

(i)after ‘court’ insert—

‘(i)’,

(ii)at the end insert ‘; and

(ii) at a trial diet not less than 29 clear days after service of the indictment,’, and

(b) for paragraph (b) substitute—

‘(b) where the indictment is in respect of the High Court, at a diet not less than 29 clear days after the service of the indictment (such a diet being referred to in this Act as a ‘preliminary hearing’).’.

(2) In subsection (6A) of that section, paragraph (b) and the word ‘and’ immediately preceding it are repealed.

(3) For sections 72 to 73A of the 1995 Act substitute—

S-72 Preliminary hearing: procedure up to appointment of trial diet

72 Preliminary hearing: procedure up to appointment of trial diet

‘72 Preliminary hearing: procedure up to appointment of trial diet

(1) A preliminary hearing shall be conducted in accordance with this section and section 72A.

(2) The court shall—

(a) where the accused is charged with an offence to which section 288C of this Act applies; or

(b) in any case—

(i) in respect of which section 288E of this Act applies; or

(ii) in which an order has been made under section 288F(2) of this Act,

before taking any further step under this section, ascertain whether the accused has engaged a solicitor for the purposes of the conduct of his case at or for the purposes of the preliminary hearing.

(3) After complying with subsection (2) above, the court shall dispose of any preliminary pleas (within the meaning of section 79(2)(a) of this Act) of which a party has given notice not less than 7 clear days before the preliminary hearing to the court and to the other parties.

(4) After disposing of any preliminary pleas under subsection (3) above, the court shall require the accused to state how he pleads to the indictment.

(5) If the accused tenders a plea of guilty, section 77 of this Act shall apply.

(6) After the accused has stated how he pleads to the indictment, the court shall, unless a plea of guilty is tendered and accepted—

(a) in any case—

(i) where the accused is charged with an offence to which section 288C of this Act applies;

(ii) in respect of which section 288E of this Act applies; or

(iii) in which an order has been made under section 288F(2) of this Act,

ascertain whether the accused has engaged a solicitor for the purposes of his defence at the trial;

(b) unless it considers it inappropriate to do so at the preliminary hearing, dispose of—

(i) any preliminary issues (within the meaning of section 79(2)(b) of this Act) of which a party has given notice not less than 7 clear days before the preliminary hearing to the court and to the other parties;

(ii) any child witness notice under section 271A(2) or vulnerable witness application under section 271C(2) appointed to be disposed of at the preliminary hearing;

(iii) subject to subsection (8) below, any application under section 275(1) or 288F(2) of this Act made before the preliminary hearing; and

(iv) any other matter which, in the opinion of the court, could be disposed of with advantage before the trial;

(c) ascertain whether there is any objection to the admissibility of any evidence which any party wishes to raise despite not having given the notice referred to in paragraph (b)(i) above, and—

(i) if so, decide whether to grant leave under section 79(1) of this Act for the objection to be raised; and

(ii) if leave is granted, dispose of the objection unless it considers it inappropriate to do so at the preliminary hearing;

(d) ascertain which of the witnesses included in the list of witnesses are required by the prosecutor or the accused to attend the trial;

(e) ascertain whether subsection (7) below applies to any person who is to give evidence at or for the purposes of the trial or to the accused and, if so, consider whether it should make an order under section 271A(7) or 271D(2) of this Act in relation to the person or, as the case may be, the accused; and

(f) ascertain, so far as is reasonably practicable—

(i) the state of preparation of the prosecutor and the accused with respect to their cases; and

(ii) the extent to which the prosecutor and the accused have complied with the duty under section 257(1) of this Act.

(7) This subsection applies—

(a) to a person who is to give evidence at or for the purposes of the trial if that person is, or is likely to be, a vulnerable witness;

(b) to the accused if, were he to give evidence at or for the purposes of the trial, he would be, or would be likely to be, a vulnerable witness.

(8) Where any application or notice such as is mentioned in subsection (6)(b)(iii) above is required by the provision under which it is made or lodged, or by any other provision of this Act, to be made or lodged by a certain time, the court—

(a) shall not be required under that subsection to dispose of it unless it has been made or lodged by that time; but

(b) shall have power to dispose of it to the extent that the provision under which it was made, or any other provision of this Act, allows it to be disposed of notwithstanding that it was not made or lodged in time.

(9) Where the court decides not to dispose of any preliminary issue, application, notice, objection or other matter referred to in subsection (6)(b) or (c) above at the preliminary hearing, it may—

(a) appoint a further diet, to be held before the trial diet appointed under section 72A of this Act, for the purpose of disposing of the issue, application, notice, objection or matter; or

(b) appoint the issue, application, notice, objection or other matter to be disposed of at the trial diet.

S-72A

72A

72A Preliminary hearing: appointment of trial diet

(1) In any case in which subsection (6) of section 72 of this Act applies, the court shall, at the preliminary hearing—

(a) after complying with that subsection;

(b) having regard to earlier proceedings at the preliminary hearing; and

(c) subject to subsections (3) to (7) below,

appoint a trial diet.

(2) In appointing a trial diet under subsection (1) above, the court may, if satisfied that it is appropriate to do so, indicate that the diet is to be a floating diet for the purposes of section 83A of this Act.

(3) In any case in which the 12 month period applies (whether or not the 140 day period also applies in the case)—

(a) if the court considers that the case would be likely to be ready to proceed to trial within that period, it shall, subject to subsections (5) to (7) below, appoint a trial diet for a date within that period; or

(b) if the court considers that the case would not be likely to be so ready, it shall give the prosecutor an opportunity to make an application to the court under section 65(3) of this Act for an extension of the 12 month period.

(4) Where paragraph (b) of subsection (3) above applies—

(a) if such an application as is mentioned in that paragraph is made and granted, the court shall, subject to subsections (5) to (7) below, appoint a trial diet for a date within the 12 month period as extended; or

(b) if no such application is made or if one is made but is refused by the court—

(i)the court may desert the preliminary hearingsimpliciter or pro loco et tempore ; and

(ii) where the...

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