In any case where a court has power to commit a person to prison for contempt of court and (apart from this provision) no limitation applies to the period of committal, the committal shall (without prejudice to the power of the court to order his earlier discharge) be for a fixed term, and that term shall not on any occasion exceed two years in the case of committal by a superior court, or one month in the case of committal by an inferior court.

In any case where an inferior court has power to fine a person for contempt of court and (apart from this provision) no limit applies to the amount of the fine, the fine shall not on any occasion exceed F6£2,500.

A fine imposed under subsection (2) above shall be deemed, for the purposes of any enactment, to be a sum adjudged to be paid by a conviction.

In the exercise of jurisdiction to commit for contempt of court or any kindred offence the court shall not deal with the offender by making an order under section 17 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982 (an attendance centre order) if it appears to the court, after considering any available evidence, that he is under 17 years of age.

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Each of the superior courts shall have the like power to make a hospital order or guardianship order under F10section 37 of the M2Mental Health Act 1983F11or an interim hospital order underF10section 38 of that Act in the case of a person suffering from mental illness or F12severe mental impairment who could otherwise be committed to prison for contempt of court as the Crown Court has under that section in the case of a person convicted of an offence.

Each of the superior courts shall have the like power to make an order under F14section 35 of the said Act of 1983 (remand for report on accused’s mental condition) where there is reason to suspect that a person who could be committed to prison for contempt of court is suffering from mental illness or severe mental impairment as the Crown Court has under that section in the case of an accused person within the meaning of that section.

For the purpose of the preceding provisions of this section a county court shall be treated as a superior court and not as an inferior court.

The enactments specified in Part III of Schedule 2 shall have effect subject to the amendments set out in that Part, being amendments relating to the penalties and procedure in respect of certain offences of contempt in coroner’s courts, county courts and magistrates’ courts.

In Scottish proceedings, when a person is committed to prison for contempt of court the committal shall (without prejudice to the power of the court to order his earlier discharge) be for a fixed term.

Where a person is found guilty by a district court of contempt of court and it appears to the court that he may be suffering from mental disorder, it shall remit him to the sheriff in the manner provided by F3section 7(9) and (10) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and the sheriff shall, on such remit being made, have the like power to make an order under F3section 58(1) of the said Act in respect of him as if he had been convicted by the sheriff of an offence, or in dealing with him may exercise the like powers as the court making the remit.

For the purposes of section F522 of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 (release on licence of prisoners serving determinate sentences) a penalty of a period of imprisonment imposed for contempt of court shall be treated as a sentence of imprisonment with the meaning of that Act.

Where payment of a fine imposed by any court falls to be enforced as mentioned in paragraph (b) of subsection (1), the provisions of sections 31 and 32 of the M3Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 shall apply as they apply to a fine imposed by the Crown Court.

Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to fines imposed by the criminal division of the Court of Appeal or by the House of Lords on appeal from that division.

The Fines Act 1833 shall not apply to a fine to which subsection (1) of this section applies.

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The powers of a magistrates’ court under subsection (3) of section 63 of the M1Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 (punishment by fine or committal for disobeying an order to do anything other than the payment of money or to abstain from doing anything) may be exercised either of the court’s own motion or by order on complaint.

In relation to the exercise of those powers the provisions of the Magistrates’ Court Act 1980 shall apply subject to the modifications set out in Schedule 3 to this Act.