Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

8 (1) Proceedings in England or Wales for an offence under paragraph 6(3) of this Schedule may be brought within a period of 6 months from the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the prosecutor to warrant the proceedings came to his knowledge; but no such proceedings shall be brought by virtue of this paragraph more than 3 years after the commission of the offence.

(2) Proceedings in Scotland for an offence under paragraph 6(3) of this Schedule shall not be commenced after the expiry of the period of 3 years from the commission of the offence; but, subject to the foregoing limitation, and not withstanding anything in section 331 of the M1 Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975, any such proceedings may be commenced at any time within 6 months after the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the Lord Advocate to justify the proceedings came to his knowledge or, where such evidence was reported to him by a local authority, within 6 months after the date on which it came to their knowledge; and subsection (3) of the said section 331 shall apply for the purposes of this sub-paragraph as it applies for the purposes of that section.

(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) above, a certificate signed by or on behalf of the prosecutor or, as the case may be, the Lord Advocate or the local authority, and stating the date on which evidence such as is mentioned in the sub-paragraph in question came to his or their knowledge, shall be conclusive evidence of that fact; and a certificate stating that matter and purporting to be so signed shall be deemed to be so signed unless the contrary is proved.

(4) Where any person is charged with an offence committed in respect of a stationary vehicle and falling within any of paragraphs (a) to (c) or within paragraph (f) of paragraph 2(2) of this Schedule (other than the offence mentioned in paragraph 2(2)(b) above, of obstructing a road), and the prosecutor produces to the court any of the statutory statements mentioned in paragraph 9 of this Schedule or a copy of a statement of liability under this Schedule purporting—

(a) to have been furnished in compliance with or in response to a notice under paragraph 5(6) of this schedule, and

(b) to have been signed by the accused,

the statement shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to have been signed by the accused and shall be evidence (and, in Scotland, sufficient evidence) in the proceedings of any facts stated in it tending to show that the accused was the owner, the hirer or the driver of the vehicle concerned at a particular time.

Marginal Citations

M1 1975 c. 21(39:1).