Offences Against the Person Act 1861

73 Guardians and Overseers may be required to prosecute in certain Cases of Offences against this Act. Costs of Prosecution. Clerk of Guardians may be bound over to prosecute.

Where any Complaint shall be made of any Offence against Section Twenty-six of this Act, or of any bodily Injury inflicted upon any Person under the Age of Sixteen Years, for which the Party committing it is liable to be indicted, and the Circumstances of which Offence amount, in point of Law, to a Felony, or an Attempt to commit a Felony, or an Assault with Intent to commit a Felony, and Two Justices of the Peace before whom such Complaint is heard shall certify under their Hands that it is necessary for the Purposes of Public Justice that the Prosecution should be conducted by the Guardians of the Union or Place, or, where there are no Guardians, by the Overseers of the Poor of the Place, in which the Offence shall be charged to have been committed, such Guardians or Overseers, as the Case may be, upon personal Service of such Certificate or a Duplicate thereof upon the Clerk of such Guardians or upon any One of such Overseers, shall conduct the Prosecution, and shall pay the Costs reasonably and properly incurred by them therein (so far as the same shall not be allowed to them under any Order of any Court) out of the Common Fund of the Union, or out of the Funds in the Hands of the Guardians or Overseers, as the Case may be; and, where there is a Board of Guardians, the Clerk or Borne other Officer of the Union or Place, and, where there is no Board of Guardians, One of the Overseers of the Poor, may, if such Justices think it necessary for the Purposes of Public Justice, be bound over to prosecute.