Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996

32Possession of items intended for terrorist purposes

(1)A person is guilty of an offence if he has any article in his possession in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable suspicion that the item is in his possession for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland.

(2)It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that at the time of the alleged offence the article in question was not in his possession for such a purpose as is mentioned in subsection (1).

(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or a fine or both;

(b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both.

(4)Subsections (1), (2) and (5) of section 13 shall apply where a person is charged with possessing an article in such circumstances as to constitute an offence under this section as they apply where a person is charged with possessing a proscribed article in such circumstances as are there mentioned.