(1)No prosecution for an offence under this Act shall be commenced after the expiration of three years from the commission of the offence or one year from its discovery by the prosecutor, whichever is the earlier.
(2)Notwithstanding anything in [F1section 127(1) of the M1Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980], a magistrates’ court may try an information for an offence under this Act if the information was laid at any time within twelve months from the commission of the offence.
(3)Notwithstanding anything in section 23 of the M2Summary Jurisdiction (Scotland) Act 1954 (limitation of time for proceedings in statutory offences) summary proceedings in Scotland for an offence under this section may be commenced at any time within twelve months from the time when the offence was committed, and subsection (2) of the said section 23 shall apply for the purposes of this subsection as it applies for the purposes of that section.
(4)Subsections (2) and (3) of this section do not apply where—
(a)the offence was committed by the making of an oral statement; or
(b)F2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(c)F2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43, SIF 82), s. 154, Sch. 7 para. 74
F2S. 19(4)(b)(c) repealed (26.5.2008) by The Consumer Protection for Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1277), reg. 30(3), Sch. 4 Pt. 1 (with savings in reg. 28(2)(3), Sch. 3 paras. 1-4))
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Ss. 18, 19 extended with modifications by S.I. 1986/26, reg. 11(1) and S.I. 1988/1586, reg. 4(1)
C2S. 19 applied (with modifications) (23.3.1996) by S.I. 1995/2489, reg. 10(1).
Marginal Citations