Merchant Shipping Act 1995

274 Time limit for summary offences

(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3) below, no person shall be convicted of an offence under this Act in summary proceedings unless—

(a) the proceedings were commenced within six months beginning with the date on which the offence was committed; or

(b) in a case where the accused happens during that period to be out of the United Kingdom, the proceedings were commenced within two months after he first happens to arrive within the United Kingdom and before the expiration of three years beginning with the date on which the offence was committed.

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) above shall apply in relation to any indictable offence.

(3) Subsection (1) above shall not prevent a conviction for an offence in summary proceedings begun before the expiration of three years beginning with the date on which the offence was committed and before—

(a) the expiration of the period of six months beginning with the day when evidence which the Secretary of State considers is sufficient to justify a prosecution for the offence came to his knowledge; or

(b) the expiration of two months beginning with the day when the accused was first present in the United Kingdom after the expiration of the period mentioned in paragraph (a) above if throughout that period the accused was absent from the United Kingdom.

(4) For the purpose of subsection (3) above—

(a) a certificate of the Secretary of State stating that evidence came to his knowledge on a particular day shall be conclusive evidence of that fact; and

(b) a document purporting to be a certificate of the Secretary of State and to be signed on his behalf shall be presumed to be such a certificate unless the contrary is proved.

(5) In the application of this section to Scotland—

(a) in subsection (3)(a) above, for the words from “Secretary” to “knowledge” there shall be substituted the words “Lord Advocate considers is sufficient to justify a prosecution for the offence came to his knowledge, or, where such evidence is reported to him by the Secretary of State, the expiration of the period of six months beginning with the day when it came to the knowledge of the Secretary of State”;

(b) in subsection (4)(a) and (b) above, for the words “Secretary of State” there shall be substituted the words “Lord Advocate or the Secretary of State, as the case may be,”.