{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-16",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-16.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1981/1675",
  "legislation_title": "The Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981",
  "path": "article/16",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "16",
  "heading": "General jurisdiction to deal with charges",
  "text": "(1) A magistrates' court has jurisdiction—\n(a) to conduct a preliminary inquiry ... into any indictable offence;\n(b) to hear and determine a complaint charging any summary offence.\n(2) A district judge (magistrates' courts) exercising the powers conferred by Article 45 and 46 has jurisdiction to try summarily any indictable offence.\n(3) References above to offences are to offences, wherever committed, which are cognisable under the law of Northern Ireland.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Art. 16 substituted (31.10.2016) by Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 9), s. 106(2), Sch. 1 para. 86(5) (with Sch. 8 para. 1); S.R. 2016/387, art. 2(k) (with art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in art. 16(1)(a) repealed (17.10.2022) by Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 4), s. 5(2), Sch. para. 8(1)(b); S.R. 2022/221, art. 2(d)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1981/1675/article/16",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-05T03:43:00.143829+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."
}