Air Force Act 1955

99 Rules of evidence

(1) The rules as to the admissibility of evidence to be observed in proceedings before courts-martial shall be the same as those observed in civil courts in England, and no person shall be required in proceedings before a court-martial to answer any question or to produce any document which he could not be required to answer or produce in similar proceedings before a civil court in England.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in the last foregoing subsection, a statutory declaration shall, in a trial by court-martial, be admissible as evidence of the facts stated in the declaration in a case where, and to the extent to which, oral evidence to the like effect would be admissible in that trial:

Provided that a statutory declaration shall not be admitted in evidence in any such trial on behalf either of the prosecution or of the defence—

(a) where the declaration is put forward on behalf of the prosecution, unless a copy of the declaration has, not less than seven days before the commencement of the trial, been served on the accused ;

(b) where the declaration is put forward on behalf of the defence, unless a copy of the declaration has, not less than seven days before the commencement of the trial, been served on the commanding officer of the accused;

(c) in any case, if, not later than three days before the commencement of the trial or within such further time as the court-martial may in special circumstances allow, the accused or, as the case may be, the commanding officer of the accused, serves a notice in the prescribed form on the commanding officer or accused requiring that oral evidence shall be given in lieu of the declaration;

(d) in any case, if the court-martial is of opinion that it is desirable in the interests of justice that oral evidence should be given in lieu of the declaration and declares that it is of that opinion.

(3) A court-martial shall take judicial notice of all matters of notoriety, including all matters within the general service knowledge of the court, and of all other matters of which judicial notice would be taken in a civil court in England.