Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

87 Defences to liability under section 86

(1) A person (P) is not guilty of an offence under section 86 if—

(a) at the time when P disclosed the information, he was or had been a protected person,

(b) the information related only to arrangements made for the protection of P or for the protection of P and a person associated with him, and

(c) at the time when P disclosed the information, it was not likely that its disclosure would endanger the safety of any person.

(2) A person (D) is not guilty of an offence under section 86 if—

(a) D disclosed the information with the agreement of a person (P) who, at the time the information was disclosed, was or had been a protected person,

(b) the information related only to arrangements made for the protection of P or for the protection of P and a person associated with him, and

(c) at the time when D disclosed the information, it was not likely that its disclosure would endanger the safety of any person.

(3) A person is not guilty of an offence under section 86 if he disclosed the information for the purposes of safeguarding national security or for the purposes of the prevention, detection or investigation of crime.

(4) A person is not guilty of an offence under section 86 if—

(a) at the time when he disclosed the information, he was a protection provider or involved in the making of arrangements under section 82(1) or in the implementation, variation or cancellation of such arrangements, and

(b) he disclosed the information for the purposes of the making, implementation, variation or cancellation of such arrangements.

(5) The Secretary of State may by order make provision prescribing circumstances in which a person who discloses information as mentioned in section 86(1) is not guilty in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland of an offence under that section.

(6) The Scottish Ministers may by order make provision prescribing circumstances in which a person who discloses information as mentioned in section 86(1) is not guilty in Scotland of an offence under that section.

(7) If sufficient evidence is adduced to raise an issue with respect to a defence under or by virtue of this section, the court or jury must assume that the defence is satisfied unless the prosecution proves beyond reasonable doubt that it is not.