Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Changes over time for: Section 141

Version Superseded: 25/01/2018

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Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, Section 141 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 19 November 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.

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141 Manner of citation.S

[F1(1)The citation of the accused or a witness in a summary prosecution to any ordinary sitting of the court or to any special diet fixed by the court or to any adjourned sitting or diet shall be effected by an officer of law or other person—

(a)delivering the citation to him personally; or

(b)leaving it for him—

(i)at his dwelling-house or place of business with a resident or (as the case may be) employee there; or

(ii)where he has no known dwelling-house or place of business, at any other place in which he may be resident at the time.]

(2)Notwithstanding subsection (1) above, citation may also be effected—

(a)where the accused or witness is the master of, or a seaman or person employed in a vessel, if the citation is left with a person on board the vessel and connected with it;

(b)where the accused is [F2an organisation other than a body of trustees] [F3or a partnership prosecuted by virtue of section 1 of the Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Act 2013] —

(i)if the citation is left at its ordinary place of business with a partner, director, secretary or other official; or

(ii)if it is cited in the same manner as if the proceedings were in a civil court; F4...

(c)where the accused is a body of trustees, if the citation is left with any one of them who is resident in Scotland or with their known solicitor in Scotland [F5or

(d)where the accused is a partnership prosecuted by virtue of section 1 of the Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Act 2013, if the citation is left with any one of the partners who is resident in Scotland;]

[F6; and in sub-paragraph (b)(i) of this subsection references to the director or secretary or other official, in relation to a limited liability partnership, are to any member of the limited liability partnership]

[F7(2A)Notwithstanding subsection (1) above and section 140(2) of this Act, citation of the accused may also be effected by an officer of law affixing to the door of the accused’s dwelling-house or place of business a notice in such form as may be prescribed by Act of Adjournal, or as nearly as may be in such form—

(a)specifying the date on which it was so affixed;

(b)informing the accused that he may collect a copy of the complaint from a police station specified in the notice; and

(c)calling upon him to appear and answer the complaint at such diet as shall be so specified.

(2B)Where the citation of the accused is effected by notice under subsection (2A) above, the induciae shall be reckoned from the date specified by virtue of paragraph (a) of that subsection.]

(3)Subject to subsection (4) below [F8and without prejudice to the effect of any other manner of citation] , the citation of the accused or a witness to a sitting or diet or adjourned sitting or diet as mentioned in subsection (1) above shall be effective if it is F9. . .—

(a)in the case of the accused, [F10signed by the prosecutor and]sent by post in a registered envelope or through the recorded delivery service [F11or by ordinary post] ; and

(b)in the case of a witness, sent [F10by or on behalf of the prosecutor]by ordinary post,

to the dwelling-house or place of business of the accused or witness or, if he has no known dwelling-house or place of business, to any other place in which he may be resident at the time.

[F12(3A)Subject to subsection (4) below and without prejudice to the effect of any other manner of citation, the citation of the accused or a witness to a sitting or diet or adjourned sitting or diet as mentioned in subsection (1) above shall also be effective if an electronic citation is sent—

(a)by or on behalf of the prosecutor; and

(b)by means of electronic communication,

to the home or business email address of the person.]

(4)Where the accused fails to appear at a diet or sitting or adjourned diet or sitting to which he has been cited in the manner provided by this section, [F13sections 143(7), 150(3) and 150A(1)] of this Act shall not apply unless it is proved to the court that he received the citation or that its contents came to his knowledge.

(5)The production in court of any letter or other communication [F14(including a legible version of an electronic communication)] purporting to be written by or on behalf of an accused who has been cited as mentioned in subsection [F15(2A) or] (3) above in such terms as to infer that the contents of such citation came to his knowledge, shall be admissible as evidence of that fact for the purposes of subsection (4) above.

[F16(5ZA)The production in court of a legible version of an electronic communication which—

(a)bears to have come from an accused's email address; and

(b)is in such terms as to infer that the contents of an electronic citation sent as mentioned in subsection (3A) above came to the accused's knowledge,

shall (even if not purporting to be written by or on behalf of the accused) be admissible as evidence of those facts for the purposes of subsection (4) above.]

[F17(5A)The citation of a witness to a sitting or diet or adjourned sitting or diet as mentioned in subsection (1) above shall be effective [F18 if—

(a)it is sent by or on behalf of the accused's solicitor by ordinary post—

(i)to the dwelling-house or place of business of the witness; or

(ii)if he has no known dwelling-house or place of business, to any other place in which he may be resident at the time; or

(b)an electronic citation is sent by or on behalf of the accused's solicitor by means of electronic communication to the home or business email address of the witness.]]

[F19(5B)Where a witness fails to appear at a diet or sitting or adjourned diet or sitting to which he has been cited in the manner provided by this section, subsection (2) of section 156 of this Act shall not apply unless it is proved to the court that he received the citation or that its contents came to his knowledge.]

(6)When the citation of any person is effected by post in terms of this section or any other provision of this Act to which this section is applied, the induciae shall be reckoned from 24 hours after the time of posting.

[F20(6A)When the citation of any person is effected by electronic citation under subsection (3A) above, the induciae shall be reckoned from the end of the day on which the citation was sent.]

(7)It shall be sufficient evidence that

[F21(a)]a citation has been sent by post in terms of this section or any other provision of this Act mentioned in subsection (6) above, if there is produced in court a written execution, signed by the person who signed the citation in the form prescribed by Act of Adjournal, or as nearly as may be in such form, together with the post office receipt for the relative registered or recorded delivery letter[F22; or]

[F23(b)citation has been effected by notice under subsection (2A) above, if there is produced in court a written execution, in such form as may be prescribed by Act of Adjournal, or as nearly as may be in such form, signed by the officer of law who affixed the notice.]

[F24(7A)It shall be sufficient evidence that citation has been effected electronically under subsection (3A) or (5A)(b) above if there is produced in court a legible version of an electronic communication which—

(a)is signed by electronic signature by the person who signed the citation;

(b)includes the citation; and

(c)bears to have been sent to the home or business email address of the person being cited.

(7B)In this section, an “electronic citation” is a citation in electronic form which—

(a)is capable of being kept in legible form; and

(b)is signed by electronic signature—

(i)in the case of citation of the accused, by the prosecutor;

(ii)in the case of citation of a witness, by or on behalf of the prosecutor or the accused's solicitor.]

Textual Amendments

F1S. 141(1) substituted (10.12.2007) by Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 6), ss. 8(a), 84; S.S.I. 2007/479, art. 3(1), Sch. (as amended by S.S. I. 2007/527)

F2Words in s. 141(2)(b) substituted (28.3.2011) by Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 (asp 13), ss. 68, 206(1); S.S.I. 2011/178, art. 2, sch.

F3Words in s. 141(2)(b) inserted (26.4.2013) by Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Act 2013 (c. 21), ss. 6(5)(a), 8(2) (with s. 8(3)(4))