The Magistrates’ Courts (Amendment No. 2) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2008
These Rules amend the Magistrates’ Courts Rules (Northern Ireland) 1984 (‘the principal Rules’) so as to amend the procedure in relation to the giving of notice of the intention to adduce or elicit evidence of bad character and hearsay evidence, and to take account of Part III of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 (‘the 2004 Order’), Article 21A of the Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (‘the 1999 Order’).Rules 3(1) and 3(2) prescribe notice periods in relation to evidence of bad character and hearsay evidence in respect of preliminary investigations and preliminary inquiries;Rule 3(3) inserts new rules into the principal Rules to make provision in relation to the procedure for applications for witnesses other than the accused to give evidence by way of live link under Part III of the 2004 Order;Rule 3(4) inserts new rules into the principal Rules which prescribe the procedure for applications for live link directions for evidence of certain accused persons under Article 21A of the 1999 Order;Rule 3(5) amends forms in Schedule 1 to the principal Rules in consequence of rules 3(1) and 3(2) and inserts new forms into Schedule 1 in consequence of rules 3(3) and 3(4).