The Magistrates' Courts (Miscellaneous Amendments) Rules 1998

The Youth Courts (Constitution) Rules 1954

2.—(1) The Youth Courts (Constitution) Rules 1954(1) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In rule 12, for paragraphs (1) to (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs:

“(1) Subject to the following provisions of these Rules, each youth court shall consist of either:

(a) a stipendiary magistrate sitting alone; or

(b) not more than three justices who shall include a man and a woman.

(2) If at any sitting of a youth court other than one constituted in accordance with paragraph (1)(a) of this rule no man or no woman is available owing to circumstances unforeseen when the justices to sit were chosen under rule 11 of these Rules, or if the only man or woman present cannot properly sit as a member of the court, and in any such case the other members of the panel present think it inexpedient in the interests of justice for there to be an adjournment, the court may be constituted without a man or, as the case may be, without a woman.”.

(3) In rule 13(1), after the words “paragraphs (1A) or (2) of this rule” there shall be inserted the words “or where the youth court is constituted in accordance with rule 12(1)(a) of these Rules”.

(1)

S.I. 1954/711; relevant amendments are made by S.I. 1976/1505, 1979/952, 1983/675, 1991/2099, section 70 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53) and S.I. 1996/577 and 1996/3068.