Courts-Martial (Appeals) Act 1968

Right of appeal and initiating procedure

8 Right of appeal

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a person convicted by court-martial may, with the leave of the Appeal Court, appeal to the Court against his conviction.

(2) Subject as aforesaid, the person's right of appeal shall not be exercisable—

(a) unless, within such period as may be prescribed, he presents to the Defence Council a petition praying that his conviction be quashed ; and

(b) until either the prescribed period (beginning with the day on which the petition is presented) expires or he is notified by the Defence Council that the petition has not been granted, whichever event first occurs.

(3) If a person presents a petition for the purposes of subsection (2)(a) above, but fails to do so within the period prescribed for those purposes and subsequently applies for leave to appeal, the Appeal Court may direct that he be treated as not having thereby lost his right of appeal if they think that there is a reasonable explanation of the failure and that it is in the interests of justice that he should be so treated.

(4) Rules of court may provide that, in such circumstances as may be specified in the rules, a petition for the purposes of subsection (1) above which is presented to such person as may be specified in the rules shall be treated, for the purposes of that subsection, as having been presented to the Defence Council.

9 Application for leave to appeal

(1) Leave to appeal to the Appeal Court shall not be given except on an application in that behalf made by or on behalf of the appellant and lodged, within the prescribed period, with the registrar.

(2) The application must be in the prescribed form and specify the grounds on which leave to appeal is sought and such other particulars, if any, as may be prescribed.

(3) The Appeal Court may extend the period within which an application for leave to appeal must be lodged, whether the period has expired or not.

(4) Rules of court may provide that, in such circumstances as may be specified in the rules, an application which is lodged with a person (other than the registrar) specified in the rules shall be treated for purposes of subsection (1) above as having been lodged with the registrar ; and it shall be the duty of the specified person, if an application is lodged with him in accordance with the rules, to act as follows:—

(a) he shall forward the application to the registrar with as much expedition as practicable; and

(b) if it appears to him practicable to do so, and in all the circumstances expedient, he shall forthwith furnish the registrar (before the receipt by the latter of the application) with such particulars of the application as will enable the registrar to prepare a copy of it.

10 Alternative procedure for appeal from court-martial abroad

(1) The following provisions apply where a person who has been convicted by a court-martial held outside the United Kingdom duly petitions the Defence Council in accordance with section 8 of this Act.

(2) If, before the expiration of the time for appealing, the Defence Council receive from the person convicted an application for leave to appeal to the Appeal Court accompanied by a request that the Council will forward the application to the registrar in the event of its being decided not to grant the petition, it shall be the duty of the Council to comply with that request.

(3) The convicted person's right of appeal under section 8 of this Act becomes exercisable (if it has not already done so) on the happening of the event referred to in subsection (2) above, that is to say its being decided not to grant the petition.

(4) In this section " the time for appealing " means the period prescribed for the purpose of Section 9(1) of this Act as the period within which an application for leave to appeal must be lodged.

11 Consideration of application by Appeal Court

(1) In considering whether or not to give leave to appeal the Appeal Court shall have regard to any expression of opinion made by the Judge Advocate of Her Majesty's Fleet or the Judge Advocate General that the case is a fit one for appeal, and if any such expression is so made they may, without more, give leave to appeal.

(2) Where the Appeal Court dismiss an application for leave to appeal they may, if they consider the application to have been frivolous or vexatious, order that any sentence parsed upon the applicant in the proceedings from which it was sought to bring the appeal shall begin to run from the day on which the Appeal Court dismiss the application.