Children and Young Persons Act 1969

6 Summary trial of young persons

(1) Where a person under the age of seventeen appears or is brought before a magistrates' court on an information charging him with an offence, other than homicide, which is an indictable offence within the meaning of the [1952 c. 55.] Magistrates' Courts Act 1952, he shall be tried summarily unless—

(a) he is a young person and the offence is such as is mentioned in subsection (2) of section 53 of the Act of 1933 (under which young persons convicted on indictment of certain grave crimes may be sentenced to be detained for long periods) and the court considers that if he is found guilty of the offence it ought to be possible to sentence him in pursuance of that subsection; or

(b) he is charged jointly with a person who has attained the age of seventeen and the court considers it necessary in the interests of justice to commit them both for trial;

and accordingly in a case falling within paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of this subsection the court shall, if it is of opinion that there is sufficient evidence to put the accused on trial, commit him for trial.

(2) In sections 18(1) and 25(1) of the said Act of 1952 (which provide for the trial on indictment of persons aged fourteen or over who are charged with certain summary offences within the meaning of that Act) for the word "fourteen" there shall be substituted the word " seventeen ".

(3) If on trying a person summarily in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section the court finds him guilty, it may impose a fine of an amount not exceeding fifty pounds or may exercise the same powers as it could have exercised if he had been found guilty of an offence for which, but for section 107(2) of the said Act of 1952, it could have sentenced him to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.