Any person accused on petition of a crime F1. . . shall be entitled immediately, on any F2(other than the first)occasion on which he is brought before the sheriff prior to his committal until liberated in due course of law, to apply to the sheriff for bail, and the prosecutor shall be entitled to be heard against any such application.

The sheriff shall be entitled in his discretion to refuse such application before the person accused is committed until liberated in due course of law.

Where an accused is admitted to bail without being committed until liberated in due course of law, it shall not be necessary so to commit him, and it shall be lawful to serve him with an indictment or complaint without his having been previously so committed.

Where bail is refused before committal until liberation in due course of law on an application under subsection (1) above, the application for bail may be renewed after such committal.

Any sheriff having jurisdiction to try the offence or to commit the accused until liberated in due course of law may, at his discretion, on the application of any person who has been committed until liberation in due course of law for any crime or offence, F3. . ., and having given the prosecutor an opportunity to be heard, admit or refuse to admit the person to bail.

Any person charged on complaint with an offence shall, on any (other than the first) occasion on which he is brought before a judge having jurisdiction to try the offence, be entitled to apply to the judge for bail and the prosecutor shall be entitled to be heard against any such application.

An application under subsection (5) or (6) above shall be disposed of F5before the end of the day (not being a Saturday or Sunday, or a court holiday prescribed for the court which is to determine the question of bail, unless that court is sitting on that day for the disposal of criminal business) after the day of its presentation to the judge, failing which the accused shall be forthwith liberated.

This section applies whether or not the accused is in custody at the time he appears for disposal of his application.