{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-54",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-54.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/54",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "54",
  "heading": "Power to impose fine in lieu of imprisonment",
  "text": "(1) Without prejudice to any other enactment, where a magistrates' court has power to impose imprisonment for an offence and, apart from this Article, has not authority to impose a fine for that offence, the court may, subject to paragraph (2), instead of imposing a sentence of imprisonment impose a fine which—\n(a) for an offence punishable on conviction on indictment or on summary conviction, shall not exceed the prescribed sum within the meaning of Article 4 of the Fines and Penalties (Northern Ireland) Order 1984; and\n(b) for an offence punishable on summary conviction only, shall—\n(i) not exceed level 3 on the standard scale, and\n(ii) not be of such an amount as would subject the offender, in default of payment of the fine, to a longer term of imprisonment or detention than the term to which he is liable on conviction of the offence.\nPara. (2) rep. by 1984 NI 3",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "1984 NI 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "1994 NI 15"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1981/1675/article/54",
    "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."
}