The Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Sale of knives and certain articles with blade or point to persons under 16

54.—(1) Any person who sells to a person under the age of 16 years an article to which this Article applies shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), this Article applies to—

(a) any knife, knife blade or razor blade,

(b) any axe, and

(c) any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person.

(3) This Article does not apply to any article described in—

(a) Article 53,

(b) an order made under section 141(2) of the [1988 c. 33.] Criminal Justice Act 1988 (offensive weapons), or

(c) an order made by the Secretary of State under this Article.

(4) It shall be a defence for a person charged under paragraph (1) to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.