The Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43) is an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
. It is a
consolidation Act.
[The Public General Acts and General Synod Measures 1980. HMSO. London. . Part IV. Pages ''i'', ''j'' and i.] It codifies the procedures applicable in the
magistrates' courts of England and Wales and largely replaces the
Magistrates' Courts Act 1952. Part I of the Act sets out provisions in relation to the courts' criminal jurisdiction, and Part II in relation to civil proceedings.
Section 1 of the Act empowers a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sam ...
to issue a
summons
A summons (also known in England and Wales as a claim form and in the Australian state of New South Wales as a court attendance notice (CAN)) is a legal document issued by a court (a ''judicial summons'') or by an administrative agency of governme ...
or
arrest warrant alleging the commission of a crime against an identifiable person. Section 127 of the Act establishes a six-month
limitation period for summary (but not indictable) offences.
See also
*
Magistrates' Courts Act
References
External links
Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 as amended from the
National Archives.
Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 as originally enacted from the
National Archives.
Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England and Wales
English criminal law
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1980
Magistrates' courts in England and Wales
1980 in England
1980 in Wales
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