Criminal Justice Act 2006

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Imposition of fine and deferral of sentence.

100.—(1) Where a court makes an order convicting a person of an offence in respect of which the person is liable to both a term of imprisonment and a fine, the court may, subject to subsection (2)—

(a) impose a fine on that person in respect of the offence, and

(b) make an order—

(i) deferring the passing of a sentence of imprisonment for the offence, and

(ii) specifying the term of imprisonment that it would propose to impose on the person in respect of that offence should he or she fail or refuse to comply with the conditions specified in the order.

(2) A court shall not perform functions under subsection (1) unless it is satisfied that—

(a) the person concerned consents to the sentence of imprisonment being deferred,

(b) the person gives an undertaking to comply with any conditions specified in an order made under subsection (1)(b), and

(c) having regard to the nature of the offence concerned and all of the circumstances of the case, it would be in the interests of justice to so do.

(3) An order under subsection (1)(b) shall specify—

(a) the date (in this section referred to as the “specified date”) on which it proposes to pass sentence should the person contravene a condition of the order, being a date that falls not later than 6 months after the making of the order, and

(b) the conditions with which the person concerned is to comply during the period between the making of the order and the specified date, including a condition that the person be of good behaviour and keep the peace.

(4) Where a court makes an order under subsection (1)(b), it shall cause a copy of the order to be given to the person in respect of whom it is made and the Garda Síochána.

(5) A court that has made an order under subsection (1)(b) shall not later than one month before the specified date require the person in respect of whom the order was made, by notice, to attend a sitting of the court on that date and at such time as is specified in the notice.

(6) If a person fails to comply with a requirement in a notice under subsection (5), the court may issue a warrant for the arrest of that person.

(7) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that a person to whom an order under subsection (1)(b) applies has contravened a condition of the order, he or she may apply to the court to fix a date for the hearing of an application for an order imposing the term of imprisonment specified in the order in accordance with subsection (1)(b)(ii).

(8) Where the court fixes a date for the hearing of an application referred to in subsection (7), it shall, by notice in writing, so inform the person in respect of whom the application will be made, and such notice shall require the person to appear before it on the date so fixed and at such time as is specified in the notice.

(9) If a person fails to appear before the court in accordance with a requirement contained in a notice under subsection (8), the court may issue a warrant for the arrest of the person.

(10) Upon an application by a member of the Garda Síochána for an order imposing the term of imprisonment specified in accordance with paragraph (b)(ii) of subsection (1), a court may, if it is satisfied that the person in respect of whom the application was made has contravened a condition specified in the order under that subsection, impose the term of imprisonment that it proposed to impose at the time of the making of the order under that subsection (or such lesser term as it considers just in all of the circumstances of the case), unless it considers that it would in all the circumstances be unjust to so do.

(11) On the specified date the court shall, if it is satisfied that the person in respect of whom the order under subsection (1) was made has complied with the conditions specified in the order, not impose the sentence that it proposed to impose when making that order and shall discharge the person forthwith.

(12) On the specified date the court may, if it is satisfied that the person in respect of whom the order under subsection (1) was made has contravened a condition specified in the order, impose the term of imprisonment that it proposed to impose at the time of the making of the order (or such lesser term as it considers just in all of the circumstances of the case) unless it considers that in all of the circumstances of the case it would be unjust to so do, and where it considers that it would be unjust to impose a term of imprisonment it shall discharge the person forthwith.

(13) A notice under subsection (5) or (8) shall be addressed to the person concerned by name, and may be given to the person in one of the following ways:

(a) by delivering it to the person;

(b) by leaving it at the address at which the person ordinarily resides or, in a case in which an address for service has been furnished, at that address;

(c) by sending it by post in a prepaid registered letter to the address at which the person ordinarily resides or, in a case in which an address for service has been furnished, to that address.

(14) Section 18(1) of the Courts of Justice Act 1928 is amended by the insertion of “, including an order under section 100 (1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2006” after “the person against whom the order shall have been made”.