The Armed Forces (Warrants of Arrest for Service Offences) Rules 2009
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 2009/1110 |
| Year | 2009 |
2009 No. 1110
Defence
The Armed Forces (Warrants of Arrest for Service Offences) Rules 2009
Made 24th April 2009
Laid before Parliament 1st May 2009
Coming into force 31th October 2009
The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 313(3) and 317(3) of the Armed Forces Act 20061, makes the following Rules:
PART 1
PRELIMINARY
Citation and commencement
1. These Rules may be cited as the Armed Forces (Warrants of Arrest for Service Offences) Rules 2009 and come into force on 31st October 2009.
Interpretation
2.—(1) In these Rules—
“the Act” means the Armed Forces Act 2006;
“the applicant” means the person who asks a judge advocate to issue a warrant under rule 23;
“an application” means an application for a warrant;
“civilian police force” means a UK police force or a British overseas territories police force;
“the Director” means the Director of Service Prosecutions;
“DX” means document exchange;
“hearing” means a hearing of an application for a warrant;
“the judge advocate” means the judge advocate specified under rule 10;
“live link” means an arrangement by which a person, when not in the place where proceedings are being held, is able to see and hear, and to be seen and heard by, the judge advocate during proceedings (and for this purpose any impairment of eyesight or hearing is to be disregarded);
“proceedings” means proceedings under these Rules for the determination of an application;
“relevant person” means the person who is to be arrested under the warrant;
“service court” means the Service Civilian Court, the Court Martial or the Court Martial Appeal Court;
“unit” means—
(a) a naval ship or establishment;
(b) any body of members of Her Majesty’s forces formed under the command of a person appointed to be the commanding officer of the body;
(c) an air force station;
“warrant” means a warrant issued under section—
(a) 313(1) for the arrest of a person who is reasonably suspected of having committed a service offence; or
(b) 317(1) for the arrest of a person who, having been released under 315(4)(c) or 316(3)(a)(ii), has failed to comply with the condition subject to which he was released.
(2) Any reference in these Rules to a numbered section is to that section of the Act, unless otherwise stated.
PART 2
SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS
Interpretation of Part 2
3.—(1) References in this Part to a requirement that a document be served on a person include any requirement that the document be supplied to the person, however expressed.
(2) References in this Part to a person’s agreement to the service of a document in a particular way include his agreement that any document of a description specified by him may be served in that way.
Service on the court administration officer
4. Where under these Rules any document is to be served on the court administration officer, it may be served—
(a) by post, DX, fax, electronic mail or other electronic means to any office of the Military Court Service; or
(b) on a member of that Service personally, with his agreement.
Service on other individuals
5. Where under these Rules any document is to be served on an individual other than the court administration officer it may be served—
(a) on the individual personally;
(b) if he is subject to service law, by post in a letter addressed to him at his unit;
(c) if he is not subject to service law—
(i) by leaving it at his usual or last known place of abode; or
(ii) by post in a letter addressed to his usual or last known place of abode.
Service by another method
6.—(1) A judge advocate may direct that a document may be served by a method other than those mentioned in rules 4 and 5.
(2) A direction under this rule—
(a)
(a) must specify—
(i) the method to be used; and
(ii) the date by which the document must be served; and
(b)
(b) may specify the time on that date by which the document must be served.
(3) A judge advocate may treat a document as served if the addressee responds to it, even if it was not served in accordance with these Rules.
Service by fax or electronic means
7. Where a document is served by fax, electronic mail or other electronic means, the person serving it need not provide a paper copy as well.
PART 3
APPLICATIONS
Application
8.—(1) An application shall be made in writing and shall be addressed to the court administration officer.
(2) An application shall include the following—
(a)
(a) the name, rank or rate, appointment and signature of the applicant;
(b)
(b) the name, rank or rate (if appropriate) and address of any person who is to give evidence under oath or affirmation in support of the application, if different to the applicant;
(c)
(c) the name, date of birth and last known location of the relevant person and, where applicable, his rank or rate, service number and unit; and
(d)
(d) any known addresses at which the relevant person may reside.
(3) Where an application is made under section 313(1), an application must also include—
(a)
(a) details of the service offence which the relevant person is reasonably suspected of having committed; and
(b)
(b) details of the circumstances which have caused the applicant to consider that there are reasonable grounds for the issue of a warrant for arrest.
(4) Where an application is made under section 317(1), an application must also include—
(a)
(a) a copy of any certificate supplied in accordance with regulations made under section 319 at the time that the relevant person was released; and
(b)
(b) the details of the conditions imposed when the relevant person was released with which it is alleged he has not complied.
Oral applications
9.—(1) An application under rule 8 may be made orally with the leave of the Judge Advocate General or a judge advocate.
(2) A party who seeks leave to make such an application orally must—
(a)
(a) give as much notice as the urgency of his application permits to the court administration officer; and
(b)
(b) in doing so, explain the reasons for—
(i) the application; and
(ii) seeking leave to make the application orally.
PART 4
PROCEEDINGS: GENERAL
Specification of judge advocate
10. As soon as practicable after receipt of an application, the court administration officer shall request the Judge Advocate General to specify a judge advocate to conduct proceedings in relation to that application.
Requirement for a hearing
11.—(1) An application under section 313 shall be determined at a hearing.
(2) An application under section 317 may be determined at a hearing.
Notification of proceedings
12. The court administration officer must serve notice of any time and place appointed for the commencement or resumption of any proceedings on—
(a) the applicant;
(b) any person whose details have been given in accordance with rule 8(2)(b); and
(c) any such other person as the Judge Advocate General or the judge advocate may direct.
Live links
13.—(1) Any person may (and, if in service custody, must) attend any proceedings by live link, if a judge advocate so directs.
(2) A person who attends proceedings by live link, and could give oral evidence in the proceedings if he were in the place where the proceedings are being held, may give evidence by live link.
(3) A direction under this rule may be given by any judge advocate.
(4) Where a direction is given under this rule in relation to a witness, the witness may not give evidence otherwise than by live link without the leave of the judge advocate.
(5) A judge advocate may give a direction under this rule, or give permission for the purposes of paragraph (4)—
(a)
(a) on an application by a party to the proceedings; or
(b)
(b) of his own motion.
Record of proceedings
14.—(1) The relevant information shall be retained by the court administration officer for six years from—
(a)
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