{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-justice-scotland-act-2016/section-63",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-justice-scotland-act-2016/section-63.json",
  "legislation": "asp/2016/1",
  "legislation_title": "Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/criminal-justice-scotland-act-2016",
  "path": "section/63",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "63",
  "heading": "Meaning of officially accused",
  "text": "For the purposes of this Part, a person is officially accused of committing an offence if—\n(a) a constable charges the person with the offence, or\n(b) the prosecutor initiates proceedings against the person in respect of the offence.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 63 applied (with modifications) (25.1.2018) by The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/46), art. 2(2)(a)(f), Sch. 3 Pt. 4 (with art. 7, Sch. 3 Pts. 5, 6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 63 applied (with modifications) (25.1.2018) by The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Application and Modification of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016) Order 2017 (S.S.I. 2017/465), arts. 1-4"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "S. 63 applied (with modifications) (25.1.2018) by The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/46), art. 2(2)(a)(f), Sch. 3 Pt. 3 (with art. 7, Sch. 3 Pts. 5, 6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "S. 63 applied (with modifications) (25.1.2018) by The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/46), art. 2(2)(a)(f), Sch. 3 Pt. 2 (with art. 7, Sch. 3 Pts. 5, 6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 63 in force at 17.1.2017 by S.S.I. 2016/426, art. 2, sch."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/1/section/63",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:13:41.878642+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."
}