Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975

[F1 375A Interim hospital orders. S

(1) Where, in the case of any person charged summarily in the sheriff court—

(a) the person is convicted of an offence punishable by that court with imprisonment (other than an offence the sentence for which is fixed by law); or

(b) the sheriff is satisfied that the person did the act or made the admission charged but does not convict him,

and the sheriff is satisfied on the written or oral evidence of two medical practitioners (complying with the provisions of subsection (3) of this section and section 377 of this Act)—

(a) that the offender is suffering from mental disorder within the meaning of [F2 section 1(2) of the M1 Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984]; and

(b) that there is reason to suppose—

(i) that the mental disorder from which the offender is suffering is such that it may be appropriate for a hospital order to be made in his case; and

(ii) that, having regard to the provisions of section 376(7) of this Act, the hospital to be specified in any such hospital order may be a State hospital,

the court may, before making a hospital order or dealing with the offender in some other way, make an order (to be known as “an interim hospital order”) authorising his admission to and detention in a State hospital or such other hospital as for special reasons the court may specify in the order.

(2) Where a person is remitted to the sheriff court from the district court under section 376(4) of this Act, the sheriff court may, if it is satisfied as in subsection (1) of this section, make an interim hospital order in relation to that person.

(3) Of the medical practitioners whose evidence is taken into account under subsection (1) of this section at least one shall be employed at the hospital which is to be specified in the order.

(4) An interim hospital order shall not be made in respect of an offender unless the court is satisfied that the hospital which is to be specified in the order, in the event of such an order being made by the court, is available for his admission thereto within 28 days of the making of such an order.

(5) Where a court makes an interim hospital order it shall not make any other order for detention or impose a fine or pass sentence of imprisonment or make a probation order or a community service order in respect of the offence, but may make any other order which it has power to make apart from this section.

(6) The court by which an interim hospital order is made may include in the order such direction as it thinks fit for the conveyance of the offender to a place of safety and his detention therein pending his admission to the hospital within the period of 28 days referred to in subsection (4) of this section.

(7) An interim hospital order—

(a) shall be in force for such period, not exceeding 12 weeks, as the court may specify when making the order; but

(b) may be renewed for further periods of not more than 28 days at a time if it appears to the court on the written or oral evidence of the responsible medical officer that the continuation of the order is warranted;

but no such order shall continue in force for more than 6 months in all and the court shall terminate the order if it makes a hospital order in respect of the offender or decides, after considering the written or oral evidence of the responsible medical officer, to deal with the offender in some other way.

(8) The power of renewing an interim hospital order may be exercised without the offender being brought before the court if he is represented by counsel or a solicitor and his counsel or solicitor is given an opportunity of being heard.

(9) If an offender absconds from a hospital in which he is detained in pursuance of an interim hospital order, or while being conveyed to or from such a hospital, he may be arrested without warrant by a constable and shall, after being arrested, be brought as soon as practicable before the court which made the order; and the court may thereupon terminate the order and deal with him in any way in which it could have dealt with him if no such order had been made.

(10) When an interim hospital order ceases to have effect in relation to an offender the court may deal with him in any way (other than by making a new interim hospital order) in which it could have dealt with him if no such order had been made.

(11) The power conferred on the court by the provisions of this section is without prejudice to the power of the court under section 381(1) of this Act to remand a person in order that an inquiry may be made into his physical or mental condition.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 375A inserted by virtue of Mental Health (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1983 (c. 39), s. 34(c) and Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 36, SIF 85), s. 126(2)(b)

F2 Words substituted by Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 36, SIF 85), s. 127(1), Sch. 3 para. 32

Marginal Citations

M1 1984 c. 36(85).