Part I Criminal Jurisdiction and Procedure
Offences triable on indictment or summarily
24 Summary trial of information against child or young person for indictable offence.
F141
Where a person under the age of 18 years appears or is brought before a magistrates' court on an information charging him with an indictable offence he shall, subject to sections 51 and 51A of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and to sections 24A and 24B below, be tried summarily.
F21A
F15Where a magistrates’ court—
a
commits a person under the age of 18 for trial for an offence F3falling within subsection (1B) below ; or
b
in a case falling within subsection (1)(a) above, commits such a person for trial for an offence,
the court may also commit him for trial for any other indictable offence with which he is charged at the same time if the charges for both offences could be joined in the
same indictment.
F41B
An offence falls within this subsection if—
a
it is an offence of homicide; F5. . .
b
each of the requirements of section 51A(1) of the Firearms Act 1968 would be satisfied with respect to—
i
the offence; and
ii
the person charged with it,
if he were convicted of the offence.F6 or
c
section 29(3) of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (minimum sentences in certain cases of using someone to mind a weapon) would apply if he were convicted of the offence.
2
F15Where, in a case falling within subsection (1)(b) above, a magistrates’ court commits a person under F1the age of 18
years for trial for an offence with which he is charged jointly with a person who has attained that age, the court may also commit him
for trial for any other indictable offence with which he is charged at the same time (whether jointly with the person who has attained that age or not) if F7the
charges for both offences could be joined in the same indictment.
3
If on trying a person summarily in pursuance of subsection (1) above the court finds him guilty, it may impose a fine of an amount not exceeding F8£1000 or may exercise the same powers as it could have exercised if he had been found guilty of an offence for which, but for F9section 89(1) of the said Act of 2000F10, it could have sentenced him to imprisonment for a term not exceeding—
a
the maximum term of imprisonment for the offence on conviction on indictment; or
b
six months,
whichever is the less.