30Remand of accused person to hospital for treatment
(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, the Crown Court may, instead of remanding an accused person in custody, remand him to a hospital specified by the court if satisfied, on the written or oral evidence of two medical practitioners, that he is suffering from mental illness or severe mental impairment of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for him to be detained in a hospital for medical treatment.
(2)For the purposes of this section an accused person is any person who is in custody awaiting trial before the Crown Court for an offence punishable with imprisonment (other than an offence the sentence for which is fixed by law) or who at any time before sentence is in custody in the course of a trial before that court for such an offence.
(3)Of the medical practitioners whose evidence is taken into account under subsection (1) above at least one shall be a practitioner approved for the purposes of section 28 of the principal Act.
(4)The court shall not remand an accused person under this section to a hospital unless it is satisfied, on the written or oral evidence of the medical practitioner who would be in charge of his treatment or of some other person representing the managers of the hospital, that arrangements have been made for his admission to that hospital and for his admission to it within the period of seven days beginning with the date of the remand ; and if the court is so satisfied it may, pending his admission, give directions for his conveyance to and detention in a place of safety.
(5)Where a court has remanded an accused person under this section it may further remand him if it appears to the court, on the written or oral evidence of the responsible medical officer, that a further remand is warranted.
(6)The power of further remanding an accused person under this section may be exercised by the court without his being brought before the court if he is represented by counsel or a solicitor and his counsel or solicitor is given an opportunity of being heard.
(7)An accused person shall not be remanded or further remanded under this section for more than twenty-eight days at a time or for more than twelve weeks in all; and the court may at any time terminate the remand if it appears to the court that it is appropriate to do so.
(8)An accused person remanded to hospital under this section shall be entitled to obtain at his own expense an independent report on his mental condition from a medical practitioner chosen by him and to apply to the court on the basis of it for his remand to be terminated under subsection (7) above.
(9)Subsections (9) and (10) of section 29 above shall have effect in relation to a remand under this section as they have effect in relation to a remand under that section.