Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

Offences

16.—(1) A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with any prohibition or requirement contained in—

(a) a slavery and trafficking prevention order, or

(b) an interim slavery and trafficking prevention order,

commits an offence.

(2) A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with—

(a) paragraph 10(1), 11(1) or (6)(b), 12(1), 13(2) or (6) or 15(3), or

(b) any requirement imposed by regulations made under paragraph 14(1),

commits an offence.

(3) A person who notifies to the police, in purported compliance with—

(a) paragraph 10(1), 11(1), 12(1) or 13(2) or (6), or

(b) any requirement imposed by regulations made under paragraph 14(1),

any information which the person knows to be false, commits an offence.

(4) As regards an offence under sub-paragraph (2), so far as it relates to non-compliance with—

(a) paragraph 10(1), 11(1), 12(1) or 13(2) or (6), or

(b) any requirement imposed by regulations made under paragraph 14(1),

a person commits such an offence on the first day on which the person first fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the provision mentioned in paragraph (a) or (as the case may be) the requirement mentioned in paragraph (b), and continues to commit it throughout any period during which the failure continues.

(5) But a person must not be prosecuted under sub-paragraph (2) more than once in respect of the same failure.

(6) A person guilty of an offence under this paragraph is liable—

(a) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years;

(b) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both.

(7) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this paragraph, it is not open to the court by or before which the person is convicted to make an order for conditional discharge in respect of the offence.