Criminal Justice Act 1925

13 Binding over of witnesses conditionally and reading of depositions at trial

(1) Where any person charged before examining justices with an indictable offence is committed for trial and it appears to the justices, after taking into account anything which may be said with reference thereto by the accused or the prosecutor, that the attendance at the trial of any witness who has been examined before them is unnecessary by reason of anything contained in any statement by the accused, or of the accused having pleaded guilty to the charge or of the evidence of the witness being merely of a formal nature, the justices shall, if the witness has not already been bound over, bind him over to attend the trial conditionally upon notice given to him and not otherwise, or shall, if the witness has already been bound over, direct that he shall be treated as having been bound over to attend only conditionally as aforesaid, and shall transmit to the court of trial a statement in writing of the names, addresses and occupations of the witnesses who are, or who are to be treated as having been bound over to attend the trial conditionally.

(2) Where a witness has been, or is to be treated as having been bound over conditionally to attend the trial, the prosecutor or the person committed for trial may give notice at any time before the opening of the assizes or quarter sessions to the clerk to the examining justices and at any time thereafter to the clerk of assize or the clerk of the peace, as the case may be, that he desires the witness to attend at the trial, and any such clerk to whom any such notice is given shall forthwith notify the witness that he is required so to attend in pursuance of his recognizance.

The examining justices shall on committing the accused for trial inform him of his right to require the attendance at the trial of any such witness as aforesaid, and of the steps which he must take for the purpose of enforcing such attendance.

(3) Where any person has been committed for trial for any offence, the deposition of any person taken before the examining justices may, if the conditions hereinafter set out are satisfied, without further proof be read as evidence on the trial of that person, whether for that offence or for any other offence arising out of the same transaction, or set of circumstances, as that offence.

The conditions hereinbefore referred to are the following:—

(a) The deposition must be the deposition either of a witness whose attendance at the trial is stated to be unnecessary in accordance with the provisions of this section, or of a witness who is proved at the trial by the oath of a credible witness to be dead or insane, or so ill as not to be able to travel, or to be kept out of the way by means of the procurement of the accused or on his behalf :

(b) It must be proved at the trial, either by a certificate purporting to be signed by the justice before whom the deposition purports to have been taken or by the clerk to the examining justices, or by the oath of a credible witness, that the deposition was taken in the presence of the accused and that the accused or his counsel or solicitor had full opportunity of cross-examining the witness :

(c) The deposition must purport to be signed by the justice before whom it purports to have been taken:

Provided that the provisions of this subsection shall not have effect in any case in which it is proved—

(i) That the deposition, or, where the proof required by paragraph (b) of this subsection is given by means of a certificate, that the certificate, was not in fact signed by the justice by whom it purports to have been signed; or

(ii) Where the deposition is the deposition of a witness whose attendance at the trial is stated to be unnecessary as aforesaid, that the witness has been duly notified that he is required to attend the trial.

(4) A witness whose attendance at the trial is stated to be unnecessary in accordance with the provisions of this section shall not be required to attend before the grand jury, and his deposition may be read as evidence before the grand jury.

(5) Any documents or articles produced in evidence before the examining justices by any witness whose attendance at the trial is stated to be unnecessary in accordance with the provisions of this section and marked as exhibits shall, subject to the provisions of section five of the [42 & 43 Vict. c. 22.] Prosecution of Offences Act, 1879 (which relates to delivery of documents to the Director of Public Prosecutions), and unless in any particular case the justices otherwise order, be retained by the justices and forwarded with the depositions to the court of trial.