Domestic Abuse Act 2021

39 Breach of order

(1) A person who is subject to a domestic abuse protection order commits an offence if without reasonable excuse the person fails to comply with any requirement imposed by the order.

(2) In a case where the order was made against the person without that person being given notice of the proceedings, the person commits an offence under this section only in respect of behaviour engaged in at a time when the person was aware of the existence of the order.

(See also section 45(8) and (9), which makes similar provision where an order has been varied.)

(3) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this section in respect of any behaviour, that behaviour is not punishable as a contempt of court.

(4) A person may not be convicted of an offence under this section in respect of any behaviour which has been punished as a contempt of court.

(5) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a) on summary conviction—

(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months (or 6 months, if the offence was committed before the coming into force of paragraph 24(2) of Schedule 22 to the Sentencing Act 2020), or

(ii) to a fine,

or both;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to a fine, or both.

(6) If a person is convicted of an offence under this section, it is not open to the court by or before which the person is convicted to make, in respect of the offence, an order under section 80 of the Sentencing Code (conditional discharge).

(7) If a person is convicted of an offence under section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 as respects which the corresponding offence under the law of England and Wales (within the meaning given by that section) is an offence under this section, it is not open to the service court that convicted the person to make, in respect of the offence, an order under section 185 of that Act (conditional discharge).

In this subsection “service court” means the Court Martial or the Service Civilian Court.

(8) In proceedings for an offence under this section, a copy of the original domestic abuse protection order, certified by the proper officer of the court that made it, is admissible as evidence of its having been made and of its contents to the same extent that oral evidence of those matters is admissible in those proceedings.