4. For article 8, there is substituted—
8.—(1) This article applies where the court is determining under section 156(4)(a) of the Act whether the defendant has a criminal lifestyle.
(2) Conduct shall not form part of a course of criminal activity under section 223(3)(a) of the Act where any of the three or more offences mentioned in section 223(3)(a) was committed before 24th March 2003.
(3) Where the court is applying the rule in section 223(5) of the Act on the calculation of relevant benefit for the purposes of determining whether or not the test in section 223(2)(b) of the Act is satisfied by virtue of conduct forming part of a course of criminal activity under section 223(3)(a) of the Act, the court must not take into account benefit from conduct constituting an offence mentioned in section 223(5)(c) of the Act which was committed before 24th March 2003.
(4) Conduct shall form part of a course of criminal activity under section 223(3)(b) of the Act, notwithstanding that any of the offences of which the defendant was convicted on at least two separate occasions in the period mentioned in section 223(3)(b) were committed before 24th March 2003.
(5) Where the court is applying the rule in section 223(5) of the Act on the calculation of relevant benefit for the purposes of determining whether or not the test in section 223(2)(b) of the Act is satisfied by virtue of conduct forming part of a course of criminal activity under section 223(3)(b) of the Act, the court may take into account benefit from conduct constituting an offence committed before 24th March 2003.
(6) Where the court is applying the rule in section 223(6) of the Act on the calculation of relevant benefit for the purposes of determining whether or not the test in section 223(2)(c) of the Act is satisfied, the court must not take into account benefit from conduct constituting an offence mentioned in section 223(6)(b) of the Act which was committed before 24th March 2003.”.