The Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

[F1Restriction on disclosure of juror information [F2or anonymous elector information]N.I.

26A—(1) A person to whom any of paragraphs (2) to (7) applies must not disclose juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] (see Article 26C) except with lawful authority (see Article 26B).

(2) This paragraph applies to a person—

(a)who is or has been an electoral officer or a court official (see Article 26C); and

(b)who obtained the juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] in the course of his functions as an electoral officer or court official.

(3) This paragraph applies to a person—

(a)who is or has been a person providing services to the [F4Department of Justice in respect of its functions under section 69 of the Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978] or the employee of such a person; and

(b) who obtained the juror information [F3 or anonymous elector information ] for or in connection with the provision of [F5 those ] services F6 . . . .

(4) This paragraph applies to a person—

(a)who is or has been a member of the police service (see Article 26C); and

(b)who obtained the juror information [F3 or anonymous elector information] for or in connection with the making of checks, in accordance with jury check guidelines (see Article 26C), on the person to whom the information relates.

(5) This paragraph applies to any person, other than a court official or a member of the police service, to whom the juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] was disclosed in accordance with jury check guidelines.

(6) This paragraph applies to a person—

(a)who is or has been a juror or summoned as a juror; and

(b)who obtained the juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] as a result of having been a juror or summoned as a juror;

but this paragraph does not apply to a person in so far as the juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] is information about himself.

(7) This paragraph applies to a person who knows, or ought reasonably to have known, that the juror information [F3or anonymous elector information] had previously been disclosed in contravention of paragraph (1).

(8) A person who contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable—

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

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine, or to both.

(9) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this Article to prove that he reasonably believed that the disclosure by him was lawful.]