{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-evidence-witness-anonymity-act-2008/section-12",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-evidence-witness-anonymity-act-2008/section-12.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2008/15",
  "legislation_title": "Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-evidence-witness-anonymity-act-2008",
  "path": "section/12",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "12",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In this Act—\n“court” means—\n(a)in relation to England and Wales, a magistrates' court, the Crown Court or the criminal division of the Court of Appeal;\n(b)in relation to Northern Ireland, a magistrates' court, the Crown Court, a county court exercising its criminal jurisdiction or the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; or\n(c)a service court;\n“criminal proceedings” means—\n(a)in relation to a court within paragraph (a) or (b) above, criminal proceedings consisting of a trial or other hearing at which evidence falls to be given;\n(b)in relation to a service court, proceedings in respect of a service offence consisting of a trial or other hearing at which evidence falls to be given;\n“the defendant”, in relation to any criminal proceedings, means any person charged with an offence to which the proceedings relate (whether or not convicted);\n“prosecutor” means an individual or body charged with duties to conduct criminal prosecutions;\n“service court” has the meaning given by subsection (2);\n“service offence” has the meaning given by subsection (3);\n“witness”, in relation to any criminal proceedings, means any person called, or proposed to be called, to give evidence at the trial or hearing in question;\n“witness anonymity order” has the meaning given by section 2.\n(2) In this Act “service court” means—\n(a) a court-martial constituted under the Army Act 1955 (3 & 4 Eliz. 2 c. 18), the Air Force Act 1955 (3 & 4 Eliz. 2 c. 19) or the Naval Discipline Act 1957 (c. 53) or the Court Martial established by the Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52);\n(b) the Summary Appeal Court established by any of those Acts;\n(c) a Standing Civilian Court established under the Armed Forces Act 1976 (c. 52) or the Service Civilian Court established by the Armed Forces Act 2006; or\n(d) the Courts-Martial Appeal Court or the Court Martial Appeal Court.\n(3) In this Act “service offence” means—\n(a) any offence against any provision of Part 2 of the Army Act 1955, Part 2 of the Air Force Act 1955 or Part 1 of the Naval Discipline Act 1957; or\n(b) any offence under Part 1 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/15/section/12",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:11:59.210891+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."
}