{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-summary-appeal-court-rules-2009/article-3A",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-summary-appeal-court-rules-2009/article-3A.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2009/1211",
  "legislation_title": "The Armed Forces (Summary Appeal Court) Rules 2009",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-summary-appeal-court-rules-2009",
  "path": "article/3A",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "3A",
  "heading": "The overriding objective",
  "text": "(1) The overriding objective of these Rules is that cases be dealt with justly.\n(2) Dealing with a case justly includes—\n(a) acquitting the innocent and convicting the guilty;\n(b) treating all participants with politeness and respect;\n(c) dealing with the prosecution and defence fairly;\n(d) recognising the rights of a defendant, particularly those under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights;\n(e) respecting the interests of witnesses, victims and lay members (if any) and keeping them informed of the progress of the case;\n(f) dealing with the case efficiently and expeditiously;\n(g) ensuring that appropriate information is available to a judge advocate or the court when either custody before or after charge or sentence are considered; and\n(h) dealing with the case in ways that take into account—\n(i) the gravity of the offence alleged;\n(ii) the complexity of what is in issue;\n(iii) the severity of the consequences for the defendant and others affected;\n(iv) the needs of other cases; and\n(v) the need to maintain the operational effectiveness of Her Majesty’s forces.\n(3) In this rule “custody before or after charge” means the keeping of the accused in service custody under Part 4 of the 2006 Act.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 1A inserted (1.1.2023) by The Armed Forces (Service Court Rules) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2022 (S.I. 2022/1263), rules 1(2), 11"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1211/article/3A",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:12:13.432090+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."
}