Armed Forces Act 2006

Commanding officers

52 Charges capable of being heard summarily

(1) A charge against a person (“the accused”) in respect of an offence is capable of being heard summarily if (and only if) conditions A to C are met.

(2) Condition A is that the offence is one that may be dealt with at a summary hearing (see section 53).

(3) Condition B is that the accused is—

(a) an officer of or below the rank of commander, lieutenant-colonel or wing commander; or

(b) a person of or below the rank or rate of warrant officer.

(4) Condition C is (subject to subsections (5) and (6)) that the accused is—

(a) subject to service law,

(b) a member of a volunteer reserve force, or

(c) a member of an ex-regular reserve force who is subject to an additional duties commitment,

from the time the offence is committed to the end of the summary hearing of the charge.

(5) If the offence is one under section 96(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (c. 14) committed by virtue of section 96(2) of that Act, condition C is that the accused is—

(a) liable to recall, or

(b) a member of the regular forces,

from the time the offence is committed to the end of the summary hearing of the charge.

(6) If the offence is any other Reserve Forces Act offence, condition C is that the accused is a member of a reserve force from the time the offence is committed to the end of the summary hearing of the charge.

(7) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a person is “liable to recall” if—

(i) under section 65(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 he is liable to be recalled for service; or

(ii) he is liable to be recalled as mentioned in section 35(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1980 (c. 9);

(b) “Reserve Forces Act offence” means an offence within section 53(1)(k).

(8) Where at any time it falls to a person to determine for the purposes of any provision of this Act whether a charge is or would be capable of being heard summarily, the references in subsections (4) to (6) to the end of the summary hearing of the charge are to be read as references to that time.

53 Offences that may be dealt with at a summary hearing

(1) The following service offences may be dealt with at a summary hearing—

(a) an offence under section 4(3);

(b) an offence under any of sections 9 to 15;

(c) an offence under section 16(1)(a), or an offence under section 16(1)(c) committed by omission;

(d) an offence under any of sections 17 to 29;

(e) an offence under section 30(1) of negligently doing an act that results in a person’s escape, or an offence under section 30(2);

(f) an offence under any of sections 34 to 36;

(g) an offence under section 42 (criminal conduct) within subsection (3);

(h) an offence under section 107;

(i) an offence under Chapter 1 of Part 13;

(j) any service offence under regulations under section 328 or 343;

(k) an offence under section 96 or 97 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 of absence without leave.

(2) Any reference in a paragraph of subsection (1), except paragraph (g), to an offence includes an offence under section 39 of attempting to commit that offence.

(3) An offence under section 42 is within this subsection if the corresponding offence under the law of England and Wales is—

(a) an offence listed in either Part of Schedule 1 (criminal conduct offences that may be dealt with at a summary hearing); or

(b) an offence under section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 (c. 47) of attempting to commit an (indictable) offence so listed.

(4) The Secretary of State may by order amend Schedule 1.

54 Charges which may be heard summarily only with permission or by senior officer

(1) An officer may not hear summarily a charge in respect of an offence within subsection (2) unless—

(a) he has obtained the permission of higher authority; or

(b) he is of or above the rank of rear admiral, major-general or air vice-marshal.

(2) An offence is within this subsection if it is an offence under section 42 as respects which the corresponding offence under the law of England and Wales is—

(a) an offence listed in Part 2 of Schedule 1; or

(b) an offence under section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 of attempting to commit an (indictable) offence so listed.