(1)Where a person has committed an arrestable offence, any other person who, knowing or believing him to be guilty of the offence or of some other arrestable offence, does without lawful authority or reasonable excuse any act with intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution, shall be guilty of an offence.
[F1(1A)In this section and section 5 “arrestable offence” has the meaning assigned to it by Article 26 of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.]
F1(2)If on the trial of an indictment for an arrestable offence the jury are satisfied that the offence charged (or some other offence of which the accused might on that charge be found guilty) was committed, but find the accused not guilty of it, they may find him guilty of any offence under subsection (1) of which they are satisfied that he is guilty in relation to the offence charged (or that other offence).
(3)A person committing an offence under subsection (1) with intent to impede another person's apprehension or prosecution shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment according to the gravity of the other person's offence, as follows:—
(a)if that offence is one for which the court is required by law to sentence an offender to death or to imprisonment for life or to detention during the pleasure of the Governor of Northern Ireland, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than ten years;
(b)if it is one for which a person (of full age and capacity and not previously convicted) may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of fourteen years, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than seven years;
(c)if it is not one included above but is one for which a person (of full age and capacity and not previously convicted) may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of ten years, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than five years;
(d)in any other case, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than three years.
(4)…F2 no proceedings shall be instituted for an offence under subsection (1) except by or with the consent of the Attorney-General.
Subs.(5) rep. by 1975 c.59
Subs.(6) rep. by 1969 c.16 (NI)