Terrorism Act 2000

80 Conviction during remission. N.I.

(1) This section applies where—

(a) a person is sentenced to imprisonment or a term of detention in a young offenders centre for a period exceeding one year,

(b) he is discharged from prison or the centre in pursuance of prison rules, and

(c) before his sentence or term would have expired (but for the discharge) he commits, and is convicted on indictment of, a scheduled offence.

(2) If the court before which he is convicted of the scheduled offence sentences him to imprisonment or a term of detention it shall in addition order him to be returned to prison or a young offenders centre for the period between the date of the order and the date on which the sentence or term mentioned in subsection (1) would have expired but for his discharge.

(3) No order shall be made under subsection (2) if the sentence imposed by the court is—

(a) a suspended sentence,

(b) a sentence of life imprisonment, or

(c) a sentence of detention during the Secretary of State’s pleasure under Article 45(1) of the M1 Criminal Justice (Children) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.

(4) An order made under subsection (2) shall cease to have effect if an appeal against the scheduled offence results in—

(a) the acquittal of the person concerned, or

(b) the substitution of a sentence other than imprisonment or a term of detention.

(5) The period for which a person is ordered under this section to be returned to prison or a young offenders centre—

(a) shall be taken to be a sentence of imprisonment or term of detention for the purposes of the M2 Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 and for the purposes of the M3 Treatment of Offenders Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 other than section 26(2) (reduction for time spent in custody),

(b) shall not be subject to any provision of prison rules for discharge before expiry, and

(c) shall be served before, and be followed by, the sentence or term imposed for the scheduled offence and be disregarded in determining the appropriate length of that sentence or term.

(6) For the purposes of this section a certificate purporting to be signed by the governor or deputy governor of a prison or young offenders centre which specifies—

(a) the date on which a person was discharged from prison or a young offenders centre,

(b) the sentence or term which the person was serving at the time of his discharge, the offence in respect of which the sentence or term was imposed and the date on which he was convicted of that offence, and

(c) the date on which the person would, but for his discharge in pursuance of prison rules, have been discharged from prison or a young offenders centre,

shall be evidence of the matters specified.

(7) In this section—

• “prison rules” means rules made under section 13 of the M4 Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953,

• “sentence of imprisonment” does not include a committal in default of payment of any sum of money or for want of sufficient distress to satisfy any sum of money or for failure to do or abstain from doing anything required to be done or left undone, and

• “young offenders centre” has the meaning assigned to it by section 2(a) of the M5 Treatment of Offenders Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.

(8) For the purposes of subsection (1) consecutive terms of imprisonment or of detention in a young offenders centre shall be treated as a single term and a sentence of imprisonment or detention in a young offenders centre includes—

(a) a sentence or term passed by a court in the United Kingdom or any of the Islands, and

(b) in the case of imprisonment, a sentence passed by a court-martial on a person found guilty of a civil offence within the meaning of the M6 Army Act 1955, the M7 Air Force Act 1955 and the M8 Naval Discipline Act 1957.

(9) The Secretary of State may by order substitute a different period for the period of one year mentioned in subsection (1).

(10) This section applies irrespective of when the discharge from prison or a young offenders centre took place but only if—

(a) the scheduled offence is committed while this section is in force,

(b) the offence (being a scheduled offence within the meaning of the M9 Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996) was committed while section 16 of that Act was in force,

(c) the offence (being a scheduled offence within the meaning of the M10 Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991) was committed while section 15 of that Act was in force, or

(d) the offence (being a scheduled offence within the meaning of the M11 Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978) was committed while section 23 of the M12 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 was in force.

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 1998/1504 (N.I. 9).

M2 1953 c. 18 (N.I.).

M3 1968 c. 29 (N.I.).

M4 1953 c. 18 (N.I.).

M5 1968 c. 29 (N.I.).

M6 1955 c. 18.

M7 1955 c. 19.

M8 1957 c. 53.

M9 1996 c. 22.

M10 1991 c. 24.

M11 1978 c. 5.

M12 1989 c. 4.