Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

[F1156BBreach of bail under section 156A(1)(b)S

(1)A witness who, having been released on bail by virtue of an order under subsection (1)(b) of section 156A of this Act, fails without reasonable excuse—

(a)to appear at any diet to which he has been cited; or

(b)to comply with any condition imposed under subsection (6) of that section,

shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to the penalties specified in subsection (2) below.

(2)Those penalties are—

(a)a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale; and

(b)imprisonment for a period—

(i)where conviction is in the JP court, not exceeding 60 days;

(ii)where conviction is in the sheriff court, not exceeding 12 months.

(3)In any proceedings in relation to an offence under subsection (1) above, the fact that (as the case may be) a person—

(a)was on bail;

(b)was subject to any particular condition of bail;

(c)failed to appear at a diet;

(d)was cited to a diet,

shall, unless challenged by preliminary objection before his plea is recorded, be held as admitted.

(4)Section 28 of this Act shall apply in respect of a witness who has been released on bail by virtue of an order under section 156A(1)(b) of this Act as it applies to an accused released on bail, but with the following modifications—

(a)references to an accused shall be read as if they were references to the witness;

(b)in subsection (2), the reference to the court to which the accused's application for bail was first made shall be read as if it were a reference to the court which made the order under section 156A(1)(b) of this Act in respect of the witness;

(c)in subsection (4)—

(i)references to the order granting bail and original order granting bail shall be read as if they were references to the order under section 156A(1)(b) of this Act and the original such order respectively;

(ii)paragraph (a) shall be read as if at the end there were inserted “ and make an order under section 156A(1)(a) or (c) of this Act in respect of the witness ”;

(iii)paragraph (c) shall be read as if for the words from “complies” to the end there were substituted “ appears at the diet at which the witness is to give evidence ”.]