PART VCRIMINAL JURISDICTION AND PROCEDURE
Jurisdiction to deal with offences
Time within which complaint charging offence must be made to give jurisdictionF1F2C1C219
C3C4C5C6C101
Where no period of limitation is provided for by any other enactment—
C7C8C9a
a magistrates' court shall not have jurisdiction to hear and determine a complaint charging the commission of a summary offence other than an offence which is also triable upon indictment unless the complaint was made within six months from the time when the offence was committed or ceased to continue; and
b
a complaint charging the commission of an indictable offence may be made to a justice of the peace and dealt with at any time and, accordingly, a resident magistrate may at any time after an indictable offence was alleged to have been committed exercise any jurisdiction conferred on him by Articles 45 and 46 or by any other enactment to try that offence summarily.
2
Subject to paragraph (4), a complaint charging the commission of an offence which is both punishable upon summary conviction or triable upon indictment may be made and dealt with at any time and, accordingly, nothing in any other enactment (however framed or worded) which, as regards any offence to which it applies, would but for this Article impose a time-limit on the power of a magistrates' court to hear and determine a complaint charging the commission of a summary offence or impose a limitation on the time for taking summary proceedings shall apply in relation to any offence which is both punishable upon summary conviction or triable upon indictment.
3
Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2), that paragraph includes enactments which impose a time-limit that applies only in certain circumstances (for example where the proceedings are not instituted by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland or some other specified authority).
4
Where as regards any indictable offence there is imposed by any enactment (however framed or worded and whether falling within paragraph (2) or not) a limitation on the time for taking proceedings on indictment for that offence no summary proceedings for that offence shall be taken after the latest time for taking proceedings on indictment.