Armed Forces Act 2006

Armed Forces Act 2006

2006 CHAPTER 52

Commentary

First Group of Parts – Discipline

Part 4 – Custody

Chapter 2 – Custody etc after charge

Custody after charge

Section 109: Custody during proceedings of Court Martial or Service Civilian Court

238. This section is concerned with keeping an accused in custody during proceedings before the Court Martial or the SCC. If a review under the previous section takes place after the accused has been arraigned before either court (i.e. the charges are put to him and he enters his plea of guilty or not guilty), but before the court’s proceedings have been concluded, the provisions that apply to the initial authorisation of custody are to apply with modifications. Those modifications are that, in addition to considering whether conditions A to C described above are met, the judge advocate now also considers condition D; and if the accused has pleaded or been found guilty but is awaiting sentence any references to the offence with which the accused has been charged are to be read as references to the offence for which the accused is waiting to be sentenced (and references to strength of evidence no longer apply).