Mental Health Act 1959

68 Committal to hospital under s. 67

(1) Where an offender is committed under subsection (1) of section sixty-seven'of this Act and the magistrates' court by which he is committed is satisfied that arrangements have been made for the admission of the offender to a hospital in the event of an order being made under this section, the court may, instead of committing him in custody, by order direct him to be admitted to that hospital, specifying it, and to be detained there until the case is disposed of by quarter sessions, and may give such directions as it thinks fit for his production from the hospital to attend the court of quarter sessions by which his case is to be dealt with.

(2) Subsection (1) of section sixty-three and section sixty-four of this Act shall apply in relation to an order under this section as they apply in relation to a hospital order, but as if references to the period of twenty-eight days mentioned in the said subsection (1) were omitted; and subject as aforesaid an order under this section shall, until the offender's ease is disposed of by quarter sessions, have the like effect as a hospital order together with an order restricting his discharge, made without limitation of time.

(3) Where an order has been made under this section in respect of an offender, the notice of the date on which the case will be dealt with required by subsection (2) of section twenty-nine of the Criminal Justice Act, 1948, to be given by the clerk of the peace to the governor of the prison or remand centre shall instead be given to the managers of the hospital in which he is detained.