{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crown-court-rules-northern-ireland-1979/rule-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crown-court-rules-northern-ireland-1979/rule-2.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1979/90",
  "legislation_title": "The Crown Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1979",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crown-court-rules-northern-ireland-1979",
  "path": "rule/2",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—\n\" the Act\" means the Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978;\n“chief clerk” [...] includes such other [ civil servant in the Department of Justice] as may be authorised to act on his behalf for the purpose in question;\n“committal proceedings” means proceedings before a magistrates' court conducting a preliminary investigation or preliminary enquiry;\n“depositions” means depositions taken before a magistrates' court and includes written statements tendered in evidence under section 3 of the Criminal Procedure (Committal for Trial Act) (Northern Ireland) 1968, and\ndocument exhibited to such depositions or statements and the statement of the accused;\n“judge” means a judge of the High Court or a county court judge;\n“magistrates' court” means a court under the Magistrates' Courts Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 or the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968;\n“prosecutor” means the Director of Public Prosecutions when the prosecution is being carried on by him;\n“Taxing Master” means the Master (Taxing Office) or such other person as may be designated or appointed to exercise jurisdiction under section 60(1) of the Act;\n[ “the 1999 Act” means the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.)\n[ “the 1999 Order” means the Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.]\n[ “the 2004 Order” means the Criminal Justice (Evidence) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004.]\n(2) In these Rules any reference to a rule or schedule shall be construed as a reference to a rule contained in these Rules or as the case may be, to a schedule thereto; and any reference in a rule to a paragraph shall be construed as a reference to a paragraph of that rule.\n(3) The forms in the schedule shall be used where applicable with such variations as the circumstances of the particular case require.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Inserted by S.R. 1989 No. 296 with effect from 01.09.89"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Words omitted by S.R. 2016 No. 297 with effect from 31.10.16"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Words substituted by S.R. 2010 No. 133 with effect from 12.04.10"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "1968 c. 31 (N.I.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f5",
      "text": "1964 c. 21 (N.I.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f6",
      "text": "1968 c. 34 (N.I.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f7",
      "text": "Definition inserted by S.R. 2004 No. 233 with effect from 17.05.04"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f8",
      "text": "Definition inserted by S.R. 2003 No. 279 with effect from 30.06.03"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f9",
      "text": "S.I. 1999 No. 278"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f10",
      "text": "Definition inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 80 with effect from 18.04.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f11",
      "text": "S.I. 2004 No. 1501"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1979/90/rule/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:01:57.370490+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."
}