Armed Forces
(Offences and Jurisdiction) (Jersey) Law 2017
A LAW to provide for the jurisdiction
of the police, courts and other authorities of British and other armed forces
over members of those forces in Jersey, to empower civilian police to arrest
and detain members of the British armed forces in connection with that
jurisdiction, to create offences relating to those forces, to make provision
for members of those forces in relation to civilian police and courts, and for
connected purposes
Adopted by the
States 19th July 2017
Sanctioned by
Order of Her Majesty in Council 15th November 2017
Registered by the
Royal Court 24th
November 2017
THE STATES, subject to the sanction of Her Most Excellent Majesty in Council, have
adopted the following Law –
Part 1
Interpretation
1 Interpretation
(1) In this Law, unless the context otherwise
requires –
“Armed Forces Act” means the Armed Forces
Act 2006 of the United Kingdom;
“civilian court” means any court or tribunal
exercising a criminal or civil jurisdiction under the law of Jersey, and,
despite Articles 2 and 3, does not include –
(a) a service court; or
(b) a court that is a relevant authority under
the relevant law of a listed country, within the meaning of Article 3;
“civilian offence” means an offence under
the law of Jersey, and, despite Articles 2 and 3, does not include –
(a) a forces offence; or
(b) an offence under the relevant law of a
listed country, within the meaning of Article 3;
“force”, other than in the expression “police
force”, means a naval, military or air force;
“forces law” means –
(a) the Armed Forces Act;
(b) the Reserve Forces Act 1980 and the
Reserve Forces Act 1996 of the United Kingdom;
(c) section 113 of the Police and Criminal
Evidence Act 1984 of the United Kingdom; and
(d) any enactment of the United Kingdom made
under any of those Acts or that section;
“forces offence” means an offence in respect
of which a service authority or service court has jurisdiction under forces
law;
“forces powers” is to be construed in
accordance with paragraph (2)(c);
“Minister” means the Minister for Home
Affairs;
“Police Procedures Law” means the Police
Procedures and Criminal Evidence (Jersey) Law 2003[1];
“service authority” means a service police
force, within the meaning of the Armed Forces Act, or any other authority of a
force whose members are subject to service law;
“service court” means a court established
under forces law, or any other court to which an appeal is taken from such a
court;
“service custody” means the custody, under
forces law, of a service authority or service court;
“service law” is to be construed in
accordance with paragraph (2)(a);
“service person” has the meaning given by paragraph (2)(b).
(2) For the purposes of this Law –
(a) a person is “subject to service law”
if that person is so subject under the definition of that expression in
section 374 of the Armed Forces Act;
(b) a person is a “service person”
if that person is –
(i) a person who is subject
to service law,
(ii) a member of a
reserve force, within the meaning of the Armed
Forces Act, who is not subject to service law, or
(iii) any other person who is
liable to recall for the purpose of the Reserve Forces Act 1980 or the
Reserve Forces Act 1996 of the United Kingdom; and
(c) a person is “subject to forces
powers” if that person falls within Article 2(2), other than by
virtue of Article 2(3).
(3) For the purposes of this Law –
(a) a reference to an enactment of the United
Kingdom is a reference to that enactment as from
time to time amended, excluding any provision that is extended (with or without
modification) to Jersey;
(b) “amend”, in
relation to such an enactment, includes repeal; and
(c) if a provision of such
an enactment is repealed or expires, and is re-enacted (with or without
modification), a reference in this Law to the repealed or expired provision is
to be construed as a reference to the provision so re-enacted.
(4) The Minister
may, without prejudice to the generality of Article 18, by Order amend paragraph (1)
or (2) to the extent that it appears to the Minister to be necessary or
expedient to amend a definition in that paragraph in consequence of any
amendment, made after the coming into force of this Law, to an enactment of the
United Kingdom forming part of forces law.
(5) An Order under paragraph (4) may
contain such transitional, consequential, incidental or supplementary provision
as appears to the Minister to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the
Order, including provision by way of amendment of any provision of this Law.
Part
2
Jurisdiction
of courts and authorities of armed Forces
2 Exercise
of powers under forces law
(1) The service courts and service authorities
may within Jersey exercise, over persons falling within paragraph (2), all
the powers that are exercisable in the United Kingdom under forces law by those
courts and authorities over those persons.
(2) A person falls within this paragraph if he
or she –
(a) is a service person; or
(b) has ceased to be a service person, but is
liable under forces law to prosecution for an alleged forces offence committed
while he or she was a service person.
(3) For the purpose of paragraph (1), a
person who is not a service person, but whom a service authority reasonably
believes to be a service person, is to be treated as a person falling within paragraph (2)
in relation to the exercise in Jersey by that service authority of a power that
is exercisable by a service authority in the United Kingdom under forces law in
relation to a person who is reasonably believed to be a service person.
(4) A certificate issued by a service authority,
stating that a person is a service person, or was a service person at a time
specified in the certificate, is to be taken as sufficient evidence of the fact
so stated for the purpose of proceedings in a civilian court, unless the
contrary is proved.
(5) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1) –
(a) the powers that may be exercised under that
paragraph include any power exercisable by a service court or service authority
under forces law –
(i) to detain a person, in service custody
or otherwise, or
(ii) to remove a person from Jersey; and
(b) any place where a person is lawfully held in
service custody, or is otherwise lawfully detained in exercise of a power under
paragraph (1), is to be taken to be a legal place of detention for the
purposes of the Inquests and Post-Mortem Examinations (Jersey) Law 1995[2].
(6) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1),
if a sentence has been passed (whether in or outside Jersey) by a service court
on a person who, when that sentence was passed, was subject to forces powers,
then for the purpose of any proceedings in a civilian court –
(a) that service court is deemed to have been
properly constituted;
(b) the sentence is deemed to be within the
jurisdiction of that court and in accordance with forces law; and
(c) the sentence is deemed to have been lawfully
executed if it is executed according to its tenor.
(7) Subject to paragraph (3), nothing in paragraph (1)
is to be construed as permitting the exercise of a power over a person who is
not subject to forces powers (a “civilian”).
(8) Accordingly, and without prejudice to the
generality of paragraph (7), the exercise of a power under paragraph (1)
does not limit any right of a civilian in relation to any property.
(9) For the purpose of paragraph (8) –
(a) the reference to a right in relation to
property includes a right of an owner or tenant of premises that are entered or
searched, a right of an owner or hirer of a vehicle that is stopped or
searched, a right of an owner of an item or document that is found or seized in
a search, and any other right in relation to any other property; and
(b) it is irrelevant whether a person who is subject
to forces powers shares the right mentioned in that paragraph as a joint owner
or in any manner, or has any other right in relation to the property mentioned
in that paragraph.
3 Exercise
of powers under laws of visiting forces
(1) In this Article –
“home
force” means any of the regular forces or the reserve forces, within the
meaning of those terms in the Armed Forces Act;
“listed country”
means a country that –
(a) is specified in section 1(1)(a) of the
Visiting Forces Act 1952 of the United Kingdom; or
(b) is designated by an enactment of the United
Kingdom under section 1(2) of that Act as a country to which section 2
of that Act applies;
“relevant authority”,
in relation to a listed country, means a court, police
force or other authority of that country, that has jurisdiction over
members of the forces of that country under the relevant law of that country;
“relevant law”, in
relation to a listed country, means the law governing all or any of the forces
of that country.
(2) The relevant authorities of a listed country
may within Jersey exercise, over persons falling within paragraph (3), all
the powers that are exercisable by them, over those persons, according to the relevant
law of that listed country.
(3) A person, other than a person subject to
forces powers, falls within this paragraph in relation to a listed country if
he or she is –
(a) a member of a visiting force of that listed country;
(b) a relevant civilian accompanying a visiting
force of that listed country; or
(c) a member of a force of that listed country
who is a visiting member of a headquarters.
(4) For the purpose of paragraph (3) –
(a) a body, contingent or detachment of a force
is a visiting force if –
(i) it is visiting Jersey at the
invitation of any of the home forces, and
(ii) a jurisdiction authorization, being an
authorization issued by the Minister under paragraph (5), is in effect for
the time being for that visit;
(b) a relevant civilian is a person who –
(i) is subject to the relevant law of the listed
country, otherwise than as a member of that country’s forces, and
(ii) is neither a British citizen nor
ordinarily resident in Jersey or the United Kingdom;
(c) a person is a visiting member of a headquarters
if the person –
(i) is for the time being appointed to
serve in the United Kingdom under the orders of a headquarters, within the
meaning of the International Headquarters and Defence Organisations Act 1964
of the United Kingdom, and
(ii) is visiting Jersey in connection with
that service, on a visit for which a jurisdiction authorization is in effect
for the time being under paragraph (5);
(d) a person is not to be treated as a member of
a force if that person became, or last became, a member of that force at a time
when he or she –
(i) was in Jersey or in the United
Kingdom, and
(ii) did not consent to becoming such a
member; and
(e) if a force is in the nature of a reserve or
auxiliary force (by whatever name called), a person is a member of that force
so long as, but only so long as, the person is called into actual service (by
whatever expression described) or is called out for training.
(5) The Minister –
(a) may issue a jurisdiction authorization for –
(i) a particular visit,
(ii) all visits within a particular period
by a particular force or by a particular listed country’s forces,
(iii) any other description of visits, whether by
reference to periods, forces, listed countries or otherwise, or
(iv) all visits by all forces of all countries
that are listed countries at the time the authorization is issued;
(b) must, before deciding whether to issue a jurisdiction
authorization in relation to any listed country –
(i) have particular regard to any agreement,
as to visits by forces, to which the United Kingdom and that listed country are
parties (including an agreement that does not apply in respect of Jersey), and
(ii) be satisfied that in all the
circumstances it appears likely that the relevant authorities of that listed country
will not, in the exercise of their powers under paragraph (2), act in a
way which is incompatible with a Convention right, as defined by Article 1(1)
of the Human Rights (Jersey) Law 2000[3];
(c) may attach to a jurisdiction authorization
any condition appearing necessary or expedient to the Minister in relation to
the matters mentioned in sub-paragraph (b), including a condition that
imposes a limit on the powers that may be exercised under paragraph (2);
(d) must give one or more of the home forces
written notice of an issued jurisdiction authorization; and
(e) may revoke a jurisdiction authorization at
any time, by giving written notice to –
(i) the home force or forces to which notice
was given under sub-paragraph (d), and
(ii) if a member of a force of a listed
country is present in Jersey on a visit for which the jurisdiction authorization
was issued, to a person appearing to be a relevant authority of that listed
country.
(6) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2)
or to any limit imposed under paragraph (5)(c) –
(a) the powers that may be exercised under paragraph (2)
include any power exercisable by a relevant authority under the relevant law of
the listed country –
(i) to detain a person, in custody or
otherwise, or
(ii) to remove a person from Jersey; and
(b) any place where a person is lawfully held in
custody by a relevant authority, or is otherwise lawfully detained in exercise
of a power under paragraph (2), is to be taken to be a legal place of
detention for the purposes of the Inquests and Post-Mortem Examinations
(Jersey) Law 1995.
(7) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2)
or to any limit imposed under paragraph (5)(c), if a sentence has been
passed (whether in or outside Jersey) by a court that is a relevant authority
of a listed country (the “relevant court”) on a person who, when
that sentence was passed, fell within paragraph (3) in relation to that
listed country, then for the purpose of any proceedings in a civilian court –
(a) that relevant court is deemed to have been
properly constituted;
(b) the sentence is deemed to be within the
jurisdiction of that relevant court and in accordance with the relevant law of
that listed country; and
(c) the sentence is deemed to have been lawfully
executed if it is executed according to its tenor.
(8) Articles 2(7) to (9), 4, 5 and 6 apply
in respect of the powers of a relevant authority of a listed country under this
Article over a person falling within paragraph (3), as they apply in
respect of the powers of a service court or service authority under Article 2
over a person subject to forces powers.
4 Service
proceedings barring subsequent civilian proceedings
(1) This Article applies to a person who –
(a) has been convicted or acquitted of a forces
offence; or
(b) has had such an offence taken into
consideration when being sentenced under forces law.
(2) A civilian court may not try that person for
any civilian offence for which, under the law of Jersey, it would be debarred
from trying the person if he or she had been convicted, or (as the case may be)
acquitted, of the corresponding offence by a civilian court.
(3) For the purpose of paragraph (2) the
“corresponding offence” is the civilian offence, if any, that is
constituted by the act, or alleged act, that constitutes the forces offence
mentioned in paragraph (1).
(4) In paragraph (1) the references to a
person being convicted, acquitted or sentenced are to be read in accordance
with the forces law applicable to the forces offence.
5 Decision
of Attorney General on overlapping jurisdiction
(1) This Article applies to a person subject to
forces powers who –
(a) is suspected of an act that constitutes both
a forces offence and a civilian offence; and
(b) is not protected by Article 4 from
prosecution for that civilian offence.
(2) The Attorney General may issue a certificate
that states that he or she –
(a) is considering whether it is more
appropriate for the person to be dealt with for the civilian offence; or
(b) has decided that it is more appropriate for
the person to be dealt with for the civilian offence.
(3) The certificate is valid during a period
starting with the issue of the certificate and ending (without prejudice to the
power to issue a further certificate) on a date specified in the certificate.
(4) The Attorney General –
(a) may withdraw a certificate at any time; and
(b) must withdraw a certificate –
(i) on deciding that it is not more
appropriate for the person to be dealt with for the civilian offence,
(ii) on deciding not to commence any proceedings
for that offence, or
(iii) on the conclusion of the proceedings for
that offence.
(5) During the period of validity of a
certificate a service court or service authority may not take any step that
would prejudice or obstruct the investigation and prosecution of the civilian
offence.
(6) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (5),
and irrespective of whether the person is in service custody, the steps that may
not be taken include –
(a) obstructing access to the person by the
police;
(b) obstructing the production of the person to
a civilian court dealing with his or her prosecution for the civilian offence;
(c) removing the person from Jersey; or
(d) dealing with the forces offence in such a
way that the person becomes protected by Article 4 from prosecution for the
civilian offence.
(7) The Attorney General must, in considering
under paragraph (2) whether to issue a certificate and whether it is more appropriate
for a person to be dealt with for a civilian offence, have particular regard to –
(a) whether the offence was solely against the
property of the Crown or against national security;
(b) whether the offence was solely against the
person or property of a person who was subject to service law at the time of
the offence;
(c) whether the offence arose out of an act in
the performance of official duty;
(d) if the person suspected of the offence is
not subject to service law, whether that person is ordinarily resident in the
United Kingdom; and
(e) whether a service authority has indicated
that it considers it to be of particular importance that, before the person is
dealt with for the civilian offence, the person should –
(i) be dealt with for the forces offence,
or
(ii) take part in active service, within
the meaning of section 8 of the Armed Forces Act.
(8) A written statement by a service authority,
stating that an act was in the performance of official duty, is to be taken as
sufficient evidence of the fact so stated for the purpose of paragraph (7)(c),
unless the Attorney General is satisfied to the contrary.
(9) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(a),
the person remains suspected of the act after being charged for the civilian or
forces offence constituted by the act, and accordingly nothing in paragraph (1)(a)
prevents the Attorney General from issuing a certificate after such a charge
but before the conclusion of any proceedings on such a charge.
6 Detention
pending decision on overlapping jurisdiction
(1) In this Article “relevant
suspect” means a person –
(a) who is in police detention within the
meaning of Article 2 of the Police Procedures Law;
(b) who is suspected of a civilian offence, but
who has not yet been charged with that offence; and
(c) in respect of whom there are reasonable
grounds for believing that he or she may be a person
subject to forces powers.
(2) To the extent that grounds are required
under the Police Procedures Law for police detention before charge, there are
to be taken to be such grounds in relation to a relevant suspect at any time
when the conditions in both of paragraphs (4) and (5) are met.
(3) The grounds provided by paragraph (2)
are in addition to any other grounds for police detention that may apply in
respect of a relevant suspect.
(4) The first condition is that there are
reasonable grounds for believing that enquiries are being conducted diligently
and expeditiously into whether –
(a) the relevant suspect is a person subject to forces powers;
(b) if so, whether a service authority wishes to
take any action over any forces offence constituted by the act on suspicion of
which the relevant suspect was detained by the police;
(c) if so, whether and for what reasons that
authority wishes to request the delivery of the relevant suspect into service
custody for the purpose of that action; and
(d) if so, whether the Attorney General wishes
to accede to that request.
(5) The second condition is that there are
reasonable grounds for believing that the relevant suspect’s detention is
necessary –
(a) to enable those enquiries to be completed; or
(b) to ensure that a decision can be made, and
carried out, as to whether the person is delivered into service custody.
Part
3
civilian
offences and police powers related to desertion, absence without leave and
malingering
7 Interpretation
of Part 3
In this Part –
“absence
without leave” and “desertion” in relation to a person have
the meanings they have under the forces law applicable to that person, and it
is irrelevant whether the service from which that person is absent is in Jersey
or elsewhere;
“unlawful
absentee” means a service person who –
(a) has deserted; or
(b) is absent without
leave.
8 Offences
related to desertion, absence without leave and malingering
(1) In this Article –
“injury”
includes any disease and any impairment of a person’s physical or mental
condition;
“relevant civilian”
means a person who –
(a) is not subject to forces powers; and
(b) is in Jersey, or is elsewhere but is
resident in Jersey.
(2) A relevant civilian commits an offence if, knowing
that another person is a service person or knowing the circumstances by virtue
of which that other person is a service person, the relevant civilian –
(a) intentionally causes the service person to
be absent without leave;
(b) aids, abets, counsels or procures the service
person to commit an offence under forces law of –
(i) desertion, or
(ii) absence without leave;
(c) knowing or believing the service person to
have committed such an offence, intentionally impedes the service
person’s apprehension or prosecution;
(d) intending to cause the service person to
avoid service or any particular duty or kind of
duty –
(i) causes, aggravates or prolongs an
injury to the service person, or
(ii) pretends to any person (including the
service person) that the service person has an injury; or
(e) knowing or believing that the service person
intends to avoid service or any particular duty or kind of duty, aids, abets,
counsels or procures the service person to –
(i) cause, aggravate or prolong an injury
to the service person, or
(ii) pretend to any other person that the
service person has an injury.
(3) A relevant civilian who commits an offence
under paragraph (2) is liable to imprisonment for a term of 2 years
and to a fine.
9 Arrest
of deserter or absentee without leave
(1) A police officer may, in compliance with a
request (whether specific or general) of a service authority to do so, arrest
without warrant a person reasonably suspected of being an unlawful absentee.
(2) The Magistrate may issue a warrant,
addressed to a police officer, for the arrest of a person if satisfied by
evidence given under oath or affirmation that –
(a) that person is or is reasonably suspected of
being an unlawful absentee who is present in Jersey; and
(b) a service authority has made a request
(whether specific or general) for the arrest of that person by a police
officer.
(3) A person arrested under this Article must as
soon as practicable be transferred to service custody.
10 Deserter or
absentee without leave surrendering to civilian police
(1) This Article applies if a person surrenders
to a police officer as being an unlawful absentee.
(2) If the surrender occurs at a place which is
not a police station, the police officer must, subject to paragraph (8), detain
the person and take the person, or secure that the person is taken, to –
(a) a designated police station; or
(b) a police station other than a designated
police station, if to do so would have been lawful under Article 28 of the
Police Procedures Law if the person had been
arrested by the police officer for an offence.
(3) Paragraph (4) applies to the custody
officer at the police station –
(a) at which the surrender occurs; or
(b) to which the person is brought under paragraph (2).
(4) The custody officer must, subject to paragraph (8),
detain the person for as long as is necessary for the custody officer to –
(a) consider the case and take action under paragraph (5);
or
(b) arrange for the person to be brought, as
soon as practicable, before the Magistrate for the case to be considered and
action taken under paragraph (5).
(5) The custody officer or the Magistrate, after
considering the case under paragraph (4)(a) or (b) respectively, must –
(a) if it appears that the person is not an
unlawful absentee, order that the person should no longer be detained under
this Article (without prejudice to whether he or she is to continue to be
detained on any other basis); or
(b) if it appears that the person is an unlawful
absentee –
(i) arrange for the person to be
transferred to service custody, and, if necessary, continue the person’s detention
pending that transfer,
(ii) if the person is also in custody for
some other cause, notify a service authority, of the force from which the
person appears to be absent, that it may make representations to the Attorney General
as to whether the person should be transferred to service custody, or
(iii) if the person is not also in custody for
some other cause, release the person subject to a condition that he or she
reports, at or by such time as may be specified in the condition, to such place
or person as may be so specified for the purpose of enabling him or her to be
taken into service custody.
(6) If a person who is released under paragraph (5)(b)(iii)
fails to comply with the condition subject to which the person was released, the
Magistrate may issue a warrant for his or her arrest.
(7) A person arrested under a warrant issued
under paragraph (6) must as soon as practicable be transferred to service
custody.
(8) A police officer or custody officer detaining
a person under paragraph (2) or (4) must –
(a) ensure that prompt and reasonable efforts
are made to seek evidence from a service authority as to whether the person is
an unlawful absentee; and
(b) cease to detain the person under that
paragraph if satisfied, on information from a service authority, that the
person is not an unlawful absentee.
(9) In this Article “custody
officer”, “designated police station” and “police
station” have the meanings that they have in the Police Procedures Law.
Part
4
Other civilian provisions
11 Arrest by police
of person specified in judge advocate warrant
(1) In
this Article –
“judge advocate warrant” means a warrant issued under
section 313 of the Armed Forces Act;
“relevant overseas officer” means the officer of a UK
police force, or of a British overseas territory police force, within the
meaning of that section, to whom a judge advocate warrant is addressed;
“wanted person” means the person for whose arrest a
judge advocate warrant is issued.
(2) The
Magistrate may, on the application of a police officer, issue a warrant for the
arrest of a wanted person if –
(a) the
police officer or the relevant overseas officer produces or repeats the evidence
given under oath or affirmation on which the judge advocate warrant was issued;
and
(b) the
Magistrate has reasonable grounds for believing –
(i) that
the wanted person is in Jersey, and
(ii) that
there are reasonable grounds for the execution of the warrant in Jersey.
(3) A
warrant issued under this Article –
(a) must
specify –
(i) the
name of the wanted person, and
(ii) the
offence recorded in the judge advocate warrant as the offence that the wanted
person is alleged to have committed; and
(b) may
be executed by any police officer who is in possession of the warrant, or of a
copy of that warrant or the judge advocate warrant.
(4) A
person arrested under a warrant issued under this Article –
(a) must
be shown, on being arrested, the warrant or copy mentioned in paragraph (3)(b);
and
(b) must,
as soon as practicable, be transferred –
(i) to
the custody of the relevant overseas officer, or
(ii) to
service custody.
12 Arrest
by police of person unlawfully at large from service detention
A person who has been sentenced to service detention, within the
meaning of the forces law applicable to that person, and who is unlawfully at
large under that forces law –
(a) may
be arrested without a warrant by a police officer; and
(b) may
be taken to the place in which the person is required in accordance with that
forces law to be detained.
13 Offence
of obstructing person subject to service law in course of duty
(1) A person (“the first person”)
commits an offence if –
(a) the first person intentionally obstructs
another person (“the other person”);
(b) the other person is subject to service law
and is acting in the course of his or her duty; and
(c) the first person either –
(i) knows the circumstances by virtue of
which the other person is subject to service law, or
(ii) has reasonable cause to believe that
those circumstances exist.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this
Article is liable to imprisonment for a term of 1 year and to a fine of
level 3 on the standard scale.
14 Offences relating
to false
information
(1) A person, other than a service person,
commits an offence if he or she knowingly provides information that is false or
misleading in a material particular in connection with a procedure prescribed by
forces law for enlistment or attestation by that person or another person.
(2) A person, other than a service person,
commits an offence if he or she knowingly provides information that is false or
misleading in a material particular in connection with an application or claim,
by that person or another person, under regulations made under any provision of
Part VIII of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 of the United Kingdom.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this
Article is liable to imprisonment for a term of 1 year and to a fine of
level 3 on the standard scale.
15 Detention in
prison
A person in service custody may be detained in a prison, within the
meaning of the Prison (Jersey) Law 1957[4], if –
(a) the
service authority with custody of the person requests the use of the prison;
(b) the
governor of the prison, at his or her discretion, consents to the request; and
(c) the
detention is pending the person’s removal from Jersey for the purposes of
the investigation of, or proceedings in respect of, a suspected forces offence.
16 Evidence
in civilian courts
(1) In proceedings for an offence before a
civilian court under Article 8, 13 or 14, a relevant document is
admissible to the same extent as it would be admissible, under any enactment of
the United Kingdom forming part of forces law, in a court in England other than
a service court, in proceedings for an offence under such an enactment.
(2) In this Article “relevant
document” means a document, including a record or certificate, that
purports to be issued by or on behalf of a service authority.
17 Limits on enforcement
in civilian courts in matters relating to service
(1) In this Article –
“Her Majesty’s
forces” does not include the forces of a country, other than the United
Kingdom, that is a member of the Commonwealth;
“relevant pay or
pension” means any pay, pension, benefit, bounty, grant or allowance
payable to a person in respect of that person’s, or any other
person’s, service in Her Majesty’s forces.
(2) No proceedings, whether under customary law
or under any enactment, may be entertained by a civilian court with regard to –
(a) any relevant pay or pension, other than by
way of proceedings mentioned in paragraph (5);
(b) the terms of a person’s service in Her
Majesty’s forces; or
(c) a person’s discharge from such
service.
(3) Each of the following is void –
(a) an assignment of any relevant pay or
pension;
(b) a charge on any relevant pay or pension;
(c) an agreement to assign or charge any
relevant pay or pension.
(4) No order may be made, whether under
customary law or under any enactment, by a civilian court the effect of which
would be –
(a) to prevent a person from receiving any
relevant pay or pension; and
(b) to direct payment of it to another person.
(5) Nothing in paragraph (3) or (4) –
(a) applies to the making or variation of an order
for the arrest of wages; or
(b) prejudices any enactment providing for the
payment of a sum to the Viscount or to a liquidator for distribution among
creditors.
(6) An item is not subject to arrest or
distraint in any proceedings in a civilian court, whether under customary law
or under any enactment, if the item is a weapon or other instrument, or an item
of clothing or other equipment, that –
(a) belongs to a member of any of Her
Majesty’s forces; and
(b) is used by that person in the course of his or
her service in that force.
Part
5
Miscellaneous and closing
18 Powers
to make amendments to this and other enactments
(1) The States may by Regulations amend this Law
to make such provision as appears to the States to be necessary or expedient in
consequence of an amendment, made after the coming into force of this Law, of a
provision of an enactment described in paragraph (2).
(2) The enactments to which paragraph (1)
applies are –
(a) forces law;
(b) the Visiting Forces Act 1952 of the
United Kingdom, or any enactment under that Act; or
(c) the International Headquarters and Defence
Organisations Act 1964 of the United Kingdom, or any enactment under that
Act.
(3) The States may by Regulations amend any
enactment described in paragraph (4) to make such provision as they
consider necessary or expedient for, or in connection with, the arrest, detention,
release or transfer to service custody of persons who are, or who are reasonably
believed to be –
(a) persons subject to forces powers;
(b) persons falling within Article 3(3); or
(c) persons otherwise liable to arrest or
detention under any of Articles 9, 10, 11, 12 or 14.
(4) The enactments to which paragraph (3) applies
are –
(a) the Police Procedures Law;
(b) the Prison (Jersey) Law 1957;
(c) the Repatriation of Prisoners (Jersey) Law 2012[5];
(d) any enactment under any Law mentioned in
sub-paragraphs (a) to (c); and
(e) any other enactment making provision in
relation to bail.
(5) The States may by Regulations amend any of Articles 6,
9, 10 and 15 to make such provision as they consider necessary or expedient in
consequence of the commencement, after the adoption of this Law by the States, of
any enactment –
(a) making provision in relation to bail; or
(b) amending an enactment described in any of paragraphs (4)(a)
to (4)(d).
(6) The States may by Regulations amend any
enactment described in paragraph (7) to make such provision as they
consider necessary or expedient to make provision for, or in connection with,
the use of vehicles and roads by persons subject to forces powers, persons
falling within Article 3(3), and the forces of which those persons are
members.
(7) The enactments to which paragraph (6) applies
are –
(a) the Motor Traffic (Third-Party Insurance)
(Jersey) Law 1948[6];
(b) the Motor Vehicle Registration (Jersey) Law 1993[7];
(c) the Motor Vehicles (International
Circulation) (Jersey) Law 1953[8];
(d) any enactment under any Law mentioned in
sub-paragraphs (a) to (c);
(e) the Road Traffic (Jersey) Law 1956[9];
(f) the Motor Vehicles (Construction and
Use) (Jersey) Order 1998[10]; and
(g) the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences)
(Jersey) Order 2003[11].
(8) The States may by Regulations amend any
enactment, whether or not falling within any of the preceding paragraphs, to
make such provision as they consider necessary or expedient in consequence of the
coming into force of this Law.
(9) Regulations under this Article may contain
such transitional, consequential, incidental or supplementary provision as
appears to the States to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the
Regulations.
19 Citation and
commencement
This Law may be cited as the Armed
Forces (Offences and Jurisdiction) (Jersey) Law 2017 and comes into force on
such day or days as the States may by Act appoint.
dr. m. egan
Greffier of the States