Part III
- “custody of a magistrates’ court” means custody to which a person is committed in pursuance of section 128 of the 1980 c. 43.Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 (remand);
- “custody time limit” means a time limit imposed by regulations made under subsection (1)(b) above or, where any such limit has been extended by a court under subsection (3) above, the limit as so extended;
- “preliminary stage”, in relation to any proceedings, does not include any stage of the proceedings after the accused has been arraigned in the Crown Court or, in the case of a summary trial, the magistrates’ court has begun to hear evidence for the prosecution at the trial;
- “overall time limit” means a time limit imposed by regulations made under subsection (1)(a) above or, where any such limit has been extended by a court under subsection (3) above, the limit as so extended; and
- “specified” means specified in the regulations.
(12) For the purposes of the application of any custody time limit in relation to a person who is in the custody of a magistrates’ court or the Crown Court—
- (a) all periods during which he is in the custody of a magistrates’ court in respect of the same offence shall be aggregated and treated as a single continuous period; and
- (b) all periods during which he is in the custody of the Crown Court in respect of the same offence shall be aggregated and treated similarly.
(13) For the purposes of section 29(3) of the 1981 c. 54.Supreme Court Act 1981 (High Court to have power to make prerogative orders in relation to jurisdiction of Crown Court in matters which do not relate to trial on indictment) the jurisdiction conferred on the Crown Court by this section shall be taken to be part of its jurisdiction in matters other than those relating to trial on indictment.
Discontinuance of proceedings in magistrates’ courts. 23.—(1) Where the Director of Public Prosecutions has the conduct of proceedings for an offence, this section applies in relation to the preliminary stages of those proceedings.
(2) In this section, "preliminary stage" in relation to proceedings for an offence does not include—
- (a) in the case of a summary offence, any stage of the proceedings after the court has begun to hear evidence for the prosecution at the trial;
- (b) in the case of an indictable offence, any stage of the proceedings after—
- (i) the accused has been committed for trial; or
