Defence Act 1954
Contempt of court-martial.
208.—F300[(1) If any person not subject to military law—
(a) having been duly summoned as a witness before a court-martial, without just cause or excuse disobeys the summons, or
(b) being in attendance as a witness at a court-martial, without just cause or excuse fails or refuses to take an oath or make a solemn declaration when legally required by the court-martial to do so, or to produce any document, record or other thing in his power or control legally required by the court-martial to be produced by him, or to answer any question to which the court-martial may legally require an answer, or
F301[(ba) fails, neglects or refuses to comply with a direction of the military judge under section 195, or
(bb) wilfully gives evidence to a court-martial which is material to the court-martial and which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true, or
(bc) by act or omission, obstructs or hinders the court-martial in the performance of its functions, or]
F302[(c) does or omits to do any other thing, which, if the court-martial were a civil court having power to commit for contempt, would be contempt of that court,]
the person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F303[€3,000] or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.]
F304[(1A) A prosecution for an offence under this section may be brought only by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions. ]
(2) F305[(a) If any person subject to military law is guilty of contempt of a court-martial by using insulting or threatening language or by causing any interruption or disturbance in the proceedings of the court-martial, the military judge presiding at the court-martial, if he considers it expedient, instead of the offender being tried by court-martial, may by order under his hand—
(i) order the offender to be imprisoned, or, in the case of a man, to undergo detention, for a period not exceeding ninety days, or
(ii) where the offender is a person subject to military law as an officer under section 118(1)(a), (b) or (c), award a fine not exceeding fourteen days’ pay at the most recent rate payable, or
(iii) where the offender is a person subject to military law as an officer under section 118(1)(d) or (e), award a fine not exceeding the maximum fine awardable for the time being by a court-martial to an officer holding the rank of second lieutenant who is in receipt of the maximum pay applicable to that rank, or
(iv) where the offender is a person subject to military law as a man under section 119(a) or (b), award a fine of an amount not exceeding fourteen days’ pay at the most recent rate payable, or
(v) where the offender is a person subject to military law as a man under section 119(c) or (d), award a fine not exceeding the maximum fine awardable for the time being by a court-martial to a man holding the rank of private of the highest grade who is in receipt of the maximum pay applicable to that rank. ]
(b) Chapter VII of this Part shall not apply to an order under paragraph (a) of this subsection.
Annotations
Amendments:
F300
Substituted (24.06.1987) by Defence (Amendment) Act 1987 (8/1987), s. 12, commenced on enactment, subject to transitional provision in s. 16.
F301
Inserted (1.09.2008) by Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 (24/2007), s. 56(a), S.I. No. 254 of 2008.
F302
Substituted (1.09.2008) by Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 (24/2007), s. 56(a), S.I. No. 254 of 2008.
F303
Substituted (1.09.2008) by Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 (24/2007), s. 56(a), S.I. No. 254 of 2008. A fine of €3,000 translates into a class B fine, not greater than €4,000, as provided (4.01.2011) by Fines Act 2010 (8/2010), ss. 3, 5(3) and table ref. no. 1, S.I. No. 662 of 2010.
F304
Inserted (1.09.2008) by Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 (24/2007), s. 56(b), S.I. No. 254 of 2008.
F305
Substituted (1.09.2008) by Defence (Amendment) Act 2007 (24/2007), s. 56(c), S.I. No. 254 of 2008.
Editorial Notes:
E69
Previous affecting provision: subs. (2)(a) amended (22.07.1997) by Criminal Law Act 1997 (14/1997), s. 14 and sch. 2, para. 8, commenced as per s. 1; substituted as per F-note above.