Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

Violent offences prevention orders

55.—(1) A violent offences prevention order is an order made under section 56 or 57 in respect of a person (“D”) which—

(a) contains such prohibitions or requirements authorised by section 59 as the court making the order considers necessary for the purpose of protecting the public from the risk of serious violent harm caused by D, and

(b) has effect for such period of not less than 2, nor more than 5, years as is specified in the order (unless renewed or discharged under section 60).

(2) For the purposes of this Part any reference to protecting the public from the risk of serious violent harm caused by a person is a reference to protecting—

(a) the public, or

(b) any particular members of the public,

from a current risk of serious physical or psychological harm caused by that person committing one or more specified offences.

(3) In this Part “specified offence” means an offence for the time being listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 (violent offences).

(4) But the offence mentioned in paragraph 7 of that Part (assault occasioning actual bodily harm) is not a specified offence for the purposes of sections 56(2) or (3) or 58(2) or (3) unless—

(a) it was committed against—

(i) a vulnerable adult (within the meaning of Article 2(2) of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007);

(ii) a person under the age of 18; or

(iii) a person living in the same household as the offender; or

(b) the court in sentencing the offender for the offence treated the offence as aggravated by hostility (within the meaning of Article 2 of the Criminal Justice (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004).