Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999

1 (1) Section 1 of the Criminal Evidence Act 1898 (competence of accused as witness for the defence) is amended as follows.

(2) Omit the words from the beginning to “Provided as follows:—”.

(3) In paragraph (a) of the proviso—

(a) for “so charged” substitute “charged in criminal proceedings”; and

(b) for “in pursuance of this Act” substitute “in the proceedings”.

(4) In paragraph (e) of the proviso—

(a) for “and being a witness in pursuance of this Act” substitute “in criminal proceedings who is called as a witness in the proceedings”; and

(b) for “the offence charged” substitute “any offence with which he is charged in the proceedings”.

(5) In paragraph (f) of the proviso—

(a) for “and called as a witness in pursuance of this Act” substitute “in criminal proceedings who is called as a witness in the proceedings”;

(b) for “that wherewith” substitute “one with which”; and

(c) in sub-paragraph (i), for “the offence wherewith” substitute “an offence with which”.

(6) In paragraph (g) of the proviso, for “called as a witness in pursuance of this Act” substitute “charged in criminal proceedings who is called as a witness in the proceedings”.

(7) Paragraphs (a), (e), (f) and (g) of the proviso shall be respectively numbered as subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4) of the section.