{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-85H",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-85H.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/39",
  "legislation_title": "Courts Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003",
  "path": "section/85H",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "85H",
  "heading": "Prohibition of cross-examination in person: evidence of domestic abuse",
  "text": "(1) In civil proceedings, where specified evidence is adduced that a person who is a witness has been the victim of domestic abuse carried out by a party to the proceedings, that party to the proceedings may not cross-examine the witness in person.\n(2) In civil proceedings, where specified evidence is adduced that a person who is a party to the proceedings has been the victim of domestic abuse carried out by a witness, that party may not cross-examine the witness in person.\n(3) In this section—\n“domestic abuse” has the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021;\n“specified evidence” means evidence specified, or of a description specified, in regulations made by the Lord Chancellor.\n(4) Regulations under subsection (3) may provide that any evidence which satisfies the court that domestic abuse, or domestic abuse of a specified description, has occurred is specified evidence for the purposes of this section.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 7A inserted (21.7.2022) by Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (c. 17), ss. 66, 90(6); S.I. 2022/840, regs. 1(2), 2(b) (with reg. 3)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/85H",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:17:53.122162+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."
}