Part 2 – Overseas community orders
795.This part of the Schedule modifies Schedule 8 to the 2003 Act so as to enable the Court Martial and the SCC to deal with breaches of overseas community orders and to revoke or amend such orders. The effect is as follows:
796.If the responsible officer thinks that the offender has failed without reasonable excuse to comply with the order, he can (and, if the offender has been warned about such failure within the previous 12 months, must) make an application to the court that made the order (or, if the order was made on appeal, to the Court Martial). That court can then issue a summons or warrant. If the court is satisfied that the offender has failed without reasonable excuse to comply with the order, it must either amend the order so as to make the requirements more onerous or re-sentence the offender for the original offence. If the offender is aged 18 or over and the failure to comply is wilful and persistent, the court can impose a custodial sentence even if the original offence was not punishable with such a sentence.
797.The offender or the responsible officer can apply to the court that made the order (or, if the order was made on appeal, the Court Martial) for the order to be revoked. The court can revoke the order if it thinks this is in the interests of justice, having regard to developments since the order was made. If the court does revoke the order it can also re-sentence the offender for the original offence.
798.The offender or the responsible officer can apply to the court that made the order (or, if the order was made on appeal, the Court Martial) for the order to be amended. The court can cancel any of the requirements in the order, or substitute other requirements of the same kind. Certain kinds of requirement may not be amended unless the offender agrees to comply with the amended requirement, but if he does not agree the court can re-sentence him for the original offence.
799.If the offender is convicted by the Court Martial of a further offence while the order is in force, the court can revoke the order, with or without re-sentencing the offender for the original offence. The SCC has a similar power, but only where it was the SCC that made the order.
800.Where the order was not made by the Court Martial, and that court re-sentences the offender for the original offence, he can appeal against the new sentence as if it had been the Court Martial that convicted him of the original offence.
801.Court Martial rules can enable the powers conferred on the Court Martial by Schedule 8 to the 2003 Act (as applied by this Schedule) to be exercised by a judge advocate sitting alone.
