- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As made)
The Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, Section 44 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 05 October 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Order (including any effects on those provisions):
44.—(1) Where at a preliminary F1... inquiry an opening statement is made on behalf of the prosecution, such statement shall not be printed[F2 published or included in a relevant programme].
(2) Subject to Article 37 (6), where at a preliminary F3... inquiry objection is taken as to the admissibility of any evidence the court may, if satisfied that the objection is made in good faith, order that such evidence and any discussion relating thereto shall not be printed[F2 published or included in a relevant programme] and, if it appears to the court that publication of any part of the evidence adduced before it (whether or not any objection is made thereto) would prejudice the trial of the accused, it may order that such part of the evidence shall not be printed[F2 published or included in a relevant programme].
(3) Any person who acts in contravention of paragraph (1) or of any order made under paragraph (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding[F4 level 5 on the standard scale], or to both.
(4) A prosecution for an offence under this Article shall not be instituted otherwise than by or with the consent of the Attorney General.
F5(5) For the purposes of Article 7 (2) of the Prosecution of Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1972F6, paragraph (4) shall be deemed to be a relevant consent provision passed before 30th March 1972.
[F2(6) In this Article “relevant programme” means a programme included in a programme service (within the meaning of the Broadcasting Act 1990) for reception in Northern Ireland.]
F1Words in art. 44(1) repealed (17.10.2022) by Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 4), s. 5(2), Sch. para. 8(3)(j); S.R. 2022/221, art. 2(d)
F3Words in art. 44(2) repealed (17.10.2022) by Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 4), s. 5(2), Sch. para. 8(3)(j); S.R. 2022/221, art. 2(d)
F5prosp. rep. by 2002 c. 26
The Whole Order you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
The Whole Order you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
The Whole Order you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including: