165Effect of postponement
(1)If the court postpones proceedings under section 156 it may proceed to sentence the defendant for the offence (or any of the offences) concerned.
(2)In sentencing the defendant for the offence (or any of the offences) concerned in the postponement period the court must not—
(a)impose a fine on him,
(b)make an order falling within section 163(3), or
(c)make an order for the payment of compensation under Article 14 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1994 (S.I. 1994/2795 (N.I. 15)).
(3)If the court sentences the defendant for the offence (or any of the offences) concerned in the postponement period, after that period ends it may vary the sentence by—
(a)imposing a fine on him,
(b)making an order falling within section 163(3), or
(c)making an order for the payment of compensation under Article 14 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1994.
(4)But the court may proceed under subsection (3) only within the period of 28 days which starts with the last day of the postponement period.
(5)For the purposes of—
(a)section 16(1) of the Criminal Appeal (Northern Ireland) Act 1980 (c. 47) (time limit for notice of appeal or of application for leave to appeal), and
(b)paragraph 1 of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33) (time limit for notice of application for leave to refer a case under section 36 of that Act),
the sentence must be regarded as imposed or made on the day on which it is varied under subsection (3).
(6)If the court proceeds to sentence the defendant under subsection (1), section 156 has effect as if the defendant’s particular criminal conduct included conduct which constitutes offences which the court has taken into consideration in deciding his sentence for the offence or offences concerned.
(7)The postponement period is the period for which proceedings under section 156 are postponed.