Part III
- (ii) the court has begun to hear evidence for the prosecution at a summary trial of the offence.
(3) Where, at any time during the preliminary stages of the proceedings, the Director gives notice under this section to the clerk of the court that he does not want the proceedings to continue, they shall be discontinued with effect from the giving of that notice but may be revived by notice given by the accused under subsection (7) below.
(4) Where, in the case of a person charged with an offence after being taken into custody without a warrant, the Director gives him notice, at a time when no magistrates’ court has been informed of the charge, that the proceedings against him are discontinued, they shall be discontinued with effect from the giving of that notice.
(5) The Director shall, in any notice given under subsection (3) above, give reasons for not wanting the proceedings to continue.
(6) On giving any notice under subsection (3) above the Director shall inform the accused of the notice and of the accused’s right to require the proceedings to be continued; but the Director shall not be obliged to give the accused any indication of his reasons for not wanting the proceedings to continue.
(7) Where the Director has given notice under subsection (3) above, the accused shall, if he wants the proceedings to continue, give notice to that effect to the clerk of the court within the prescribed period; and where notice is so given the proceedings shall continue as if no notice had been given by the Director under subsection (3) above.
(8) Where the clerk of the court has been so notified by the accused he shall inform the Director.
(9) The discontinuance of any proceedings by virtue of this section shall not prevent the institution of fresh proceedings in respect of the same offence.
(10) In this section “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under section 144 of the 1980 c. 43.Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980.
Restriction of vexatious prosecutions.
1981 c. 54.
24.—(1) Section 42 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 (restriction of vexatious civil proceedings) shall be amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1)—
- (a) in paragraphs (a) and (b) for the word “legal” there shall be substituted, in each case, “civil”;
- (b) at the end of paragraph (b) there shall be inserted—
- “or
- (c) instituted vexatious prosecutions (whether against the same person or different persons),”; and
