Children and Young Persons Act 1933

Youth Courts U.K.

45 Constitution of [F1 youth courts]. E+W

Courts of summary jurisdiction constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule of this Act and sitting for the purpose of hearing any charge against a child or young person or for the purpose of exercising any other jurisdiction conferred on [F1 youth courts]by or under this or any other Act, shall be known as [F1 youth courts]and in whatever place sitting shall be deemed to be petty sessional courts.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 45 substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), s. 100, Sch. 11 para. 40(2)(a); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch. 2

46 Assignment of certain matters to [F2 youth courts]. E+W

(1) Subject as hereinafter provided, no charge against a child or young person, and no application whereof the hearing is by rules made under this section assigned to [F2 youth courts] ,shall be heard by a court of summary jurisdiction which is not a [F2 youth court]:

Provided that—

(a) a charge made jointly against a child or young person and a person who has attained [F3 the age of eighteen] years shall be heard by a court of summary jurisdiction other than a [F2 youth court]; and

(b) where a child or young person is charged with an offence, the charge may be heard by a court of summary jurisdiction which is not a [F2 youth court] if a person who has attained [F3 the age of eighteen] years is charged at the same time with aiding, abetting, causing, procuring, allowing or permitting that offence; and

(c) where, in the course of any proceedings before any court of summary jurisdiction other than a [F2 youth court], it appears that the person to whom the proceedings relate is a child or young person, nothing in this subsection shall be construed as preventing the court, if it thinks fit so to do, from proceeding with the hearing and determination of those proceedings.

[F4 (1A) If a notification that the accused desires to plead guilty without appearing before the court is received by the clerk of a court in pursuance of [F5 section 12 of the M1 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980] and the court has no reason to believe that the accused is a child or young person, then, if he is a child or young person he shall be deemed to have attained [F3 the age of eighteen] for the purposes of subsection (1) of this section in its application to the proceedings in question.]

(2) No direction, whether contained in this or any other Act, that a charge shall be brought before a [F2 youth court]shall be construed as restricting the powers of any justice or justices to entertain an application for bail or for a remand, and to hear such evidence as may be necessary for that purpose.

(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in s. 46 substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), s. 100, Sch. 11 para. 40(2)(a); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch. 2.

F3 Words in s. 46(1)(1A) substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), ss. 68, 101(1), Sch. 8 para. 1(2), Sch. 12 para. 22(1); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch.2.

F4 S. 46(1A) inserted by Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (c. 54), Sch. 5 para. 4

F5 Words substituted by Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43), ss. 154(2), 155(7), Sch. 7 para 6

F6 S. 46(3) repealed by Justices of the Peace Act 1949 (c. 101), Sch. 7, Pt. II

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 46(1) excluded by Children and Young Persons Act 1963 (c. 37), s. 18, Criminal Law Act 1977 (c. 45), s. 34(1) and Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43), ss. 29(1), 155(7)

Marginal Citations

M1 1980 c. 43.

47 Procedure in [F7 youth courts]. E+W

(1) [F7 Youth courts] shall sit as often as may be necessary for the purpose of exercising any jurisdiction conferred on them by or under this or any other Act.

(2) A [F7 youth court] shall [F8 not sit in a room in which sittings of a court other than a [F7 youth court] are held if a sitting of that other court has been or will be held there within an hour before or after the sitting of the [F7 youth court]]; and no person shall be present at any sitting of a [F7 youth court] except—

(a) members and officers of the court;

(b) parties to the case before the court, their solicitors and counsel, and witnesses and other persons directly concerned in that case;

(c) bonâ fide representatives of newspapers or news agencies;

(d) such other persons as the court may specially authorise to be present:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F10

Textual Amendments

F7 Words in s. 47 substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), s. 100, Sch. 11 para. 40(2)(a); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch. 2

F8 Words substituted by Children and Young Persons Act 1963 (c. 37), s. 17(2)

F9 S. 47(2) proviso repealed by Justices of Peace Act 1949 (c. 101), Sch. 7 Pt. III

F10 S. 47(3) repealed by Justices of the Peace Act 1949 (c. 101), Sch. 7, Pt. II

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C2 S. 47(2) restricted by Adoption Act 1958 (7 & 8 Eliz. 2 c. 5), s. 47; restricted by Adoption Act 1976 (c. 36), s. 37(4)

48 Miscellaneous provisions as to powers of [F11 youth courts]. E+W

(1) A [F11 youth court] sitting for the purpose of hearing a charge against, . . . F12 , a person who is believed to be a child or young person may, if it thinks fit to do so, proceed with the hearing and determination of the charge . . . F12 notwithstanding that it is discovered that the person in question is not a child or young person.

F13 [(2) The attainment of [F14 the age of eighteen] years by . . . F15 a person in whose case an order for conditional discharge has been made, shall not deprive a [F11 youth court] of jurisdiction to enforce his attendance and deal with him in respect of . . . F15 the commission of a further offence . . . F15 .

(3) When a [F11 youth court] has remanded a child or young person for information to be obtained with respect to him, any [F11 youth court]acting for the same petty sessional division or place—

(a) may in his absence extend the period for which he is remanded, so, however, that he appears before a court or a justice of the peace at least once in every twenty-one days;

(b) when the required information has been obtained, may deal with him finally;

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F16

(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F17 a [F11 youth court]may sit on any day for the purpose of hearing and determining a charge against a child or young person in respect of an indictable offence.

(5) A [F11 youth court] sitting in [F18 the inner London area] shall have all the powers of a metropolitan police magistrate; and for the purposes of any enactment by virtue of which any powers are exercisable—

(a) by a court of summary jurisdiction acting for the same petty sessional division or place as a [F11 youth court] by which some previous act has been done; or

(b) by a [F11 youth court] acting for the same petty sessional division or place as a court of summary jurisdiction by which some previous act has been done,

[F18 the inner London area] shall be deemed to be the place for which all metropolitan police magistrates sitting in that area and all [F11 youth courts] sitting in that area act.

(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F19

Textual Amendments

F11 Words in s. 48 substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), s. 100, Sch. 11 para. 40(2)(a); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch.2.

F12 Words repealed by Children and Young Persons Act 1963 (c. 37), s. 64, Sch. 5

F13 S. 48(2) substituted by Criminal Justice Act 1948 (c. 58), Sch. 9

F14 Words in s. 48(2) substituted (1.10.1992) by Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), ss. 68, 101(1), Sch. 8 para. 1(2), Sch. 12 para. 22(1); S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch.2

F15 Words repealed by Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (c. 54), Sch. 6

F16 Words repealed by Criminal Justice Act 1948 (c. 58), Sch. 10 Pt. I

F17 Words repealed by Magistrates' Courts Act 1952 (c. 55), s. 132, Sch. 6

F18 Words substituted by virtue of Administration of Justice Act 1964 (c. 42), Sch. 3 Pt. I para. 4

F19 S. 48(6) repealed by Justices of the Peace Act 1949 (c. 101), Sch. 7, Pt. III

[F20 49 Restrictions on reports of proceedings in which children or young persons are concerned. E+W

(1) The following prohibitions apply (subject to subsection (5) below) in relation to any proceedings to which this section applies, that is to say—

(a) no report shall be published which reveals the name, address or school of any child or young person concerned in the proceedings or includes any particulars likely to lead to the identification of any child or young person concerned in the proceedings; and

(b) no picture shall be published or included in a programme service as being or including a picture of any child or young person concerned in the proceedings.

(2) The proceedings to which this section applies are—

(a) proceedings in a youth court;

(b) proceedings on appeal from a youth court (including proceedings by way of case stated);

(c) proceedings under section 15 or 16 of the M2 Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (proceedings for varying or revoking supervision orders); and

(d) proceedings on appeal from a magistrates’ court arising out of proceedings under section 15 or 16 of that Act (including proceedings by way of case stated).

(3) The reports to which this section applies are reports in a newspaper and reports included in a programme service; and similarly as respects pictures.

(4) For the purposes of this section a child or young person is “concerned” in any proceedings whether as being the person against or in respect of whom the proceedings are taken or as being a witness in the proceedings.

(5) Subject to subsection (7) below, a court may, in relation to proceedings before it to which this section applies, by order dispense to any specified extent with the requirements of this section in relation to a child or young person who is concerned in the proceedings if it is satisfied—

(a) that it is appropriate to do so for the purpose of avoiding injustice to the child or young person; or

(b) that, as respects a child or young person to whom this paragraph applies who is unlawfully at large, it is necessary to dispense with those requirements for the purpose of apprehending him and bringing him before a court or returning him to the place in which he was in custody.

(6) Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) above applies to any child or young person who is charged with or has been convicted of—

(a) a violent offence,

(b) a sexual offence, or

(c) an offence punishable in the case of a person aged 21 or over with imprisonment for fourteen years or more.

(7) The court shall not exercise its power under subsection (5)(b) above—

(a) except in pursuance of an application by or on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions; and

(b) unless notice of the application has been given by the Director of Public Prosecutions to any legal representative of the child or young person.

(8) The court’s power under subsection (5) above may be exercised by a single justice.

(9) If a report or picture is published or included in a programme service in contravention of subsection (1) above, the following persons, that is to say—

(a) in the case of publication of a written report or a picture as part of a newspaper, any proprietor, editor or publisher of the newspaper;

(b) in the case of the inclusion of a report or picture in a programme service, any body corporate which provides the service and any person having functions in relation to the programme corresponding to those of an editor of a newspaper,

shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(10) In any proceedings under section 15 or 16 of the M3 Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (proceedings for varying or revoking supervision orders) before a magistrates’ court other than a youth court or on appeal from such a court it shall be the duty of the magistrates’ court or the appellate court to announce in the course of the proceedings that this section applies to the proceedings; and if the court fails to do so this section shall not apply to the proceedings.

(11) In this section—

• “legal representative” means an authorised advocate or authorised litigator, as defined by section 119(1) of the M4 Courts and Legal Services Act 1990;

• “programme” and “programme service” have the same meaning as in the M5 Broadcasting Act 1990;

• “sexual offence” has the same meaning as in section 31(1) of the M6 Criminal Justice Act 1991;

• “specified” means specified in an order under this section;

• “violent offence” has the same meaning as in section 31(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991;

and a person who, having been granted bail, is liable to arrest (whether with or without a warrant) shall be treated as unlawfully at large.]

Textual Amendments

F20 S. 49 substituted (3.2.1995) by 1994 c. 33, s.49; S.I. 1995/127, art. 2(1), Sch.1

Marginal Citations

M2 1969 c. 54.

M3 1969 c. 54.

M4 1990 c. 41.

M5 1990 c. 42.

M6 1991 c. 53