Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007

1 Issue of certificate

(1) This section applies in relation to a person charged with one or more indictable offences (“the defendant”).

(2) The Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland may issue a certificate that any trial on indictment of the defendant (and of any person committed for trial with the defendant) is to be conducted without a jury if—

(a) he suspects that any of the following conditions is met, and

(b) he is satisfied that in view of this there is a risk that the administration of justice might be impaired if the trial were to be conducted with a jury.

(3) Condition 1 is that the defendant is, or is an associate (see subsection (9)) of, a person who—

(a) is a member of a proscribed organisation (see subsection (10)), or

(b) has at any time been a member of an organisation that was, at that time, a proscribed organisation.

(4) Condition 2 is that—

(a) the offence or any of the offences was committed on behalf of a proscribed organisation, or

(b) a proscribed organisation was otherwise involved with, or assisted in, the carrying out of the offence or any of the offences.

(5) Condition 3 is that an attempt has been made to prejudice the investigation or prosecution of the offence or any of the offences and—

(a) the attempt was made on behalf of a proscribed organisation, or

(b) a proscribed organisation was otherwise involved with, or assisted in, the attempt.

(6) Condition 4 is that the offence or any of the offences was committed to any extent (whether directly or indirectly) as a result of, in connection with or in response to religious or political hostility of one person or group of persons towards another person or group of persons.

(7) In subsection (6) “religious or political hostility” means hostility based to any extent on—

(a) religious belief or political opinion,

(b) supposed religious belief or political opinion, or

(c) the absence or supposed absence of any, or any particular, religious belief or political opinion.

(8) In subsection (6) the references to persons and groups of persons need not include a reference to the defendant or to any victim of the offence or offences.

(9) For the purposes of this section a person (A) is the associate of another person (B) if—

(a) A is the spouse or a former spouse of B,

(b) A is the civil partner or a former civil partner of B,

(c) A and B (whether of different sexes or the same sex) live as partners, or have lived as partners, in an enduring family relationship,

(d) A is a friend of B, or

(e) A is a relative of B.

(10) For the purposes of this section an organisation is a proscribed organisation, in relation to any time, if at that time—

(a) it is (or was) proscribed (within the meaning given by section 11(4) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (c. 11)), and

(b) its activities are (or were) connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland.