{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002/section-138",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002/section-138.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2002/38",
  "legislation_title": "Adoption and Children Act 2002",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002",
  "path": "section/138",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "138",
  "heading": "Proceedings in Great Britain",
  "text": "Proceedings for an offence by virtue of section 9, 59, 93, 94, 95 or 129—\n(a) may not be brought more than six years after the commission of the offence but, subject to that,\n(b) may be brought within a period of six months from the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the prosecutor to warrant the proceedings came to his knowledge.\nIn relation to Scotland, “the prosecutor” is to be read as “the procurator fiscal”.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 138 in force at 30.12.2005 by S.I. 2005/2213, art. 2(n) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2005/2897, arts. 3-16)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/38/section/138",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:18:55.944329+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}