{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-1981/rule-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-1981/rule-4.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1981/552",
  "legislation_title": "The Magistrates' Courts Rules 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-1981",
  "path": "rule/4",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Information and complaint",
  "text": "(1) An information may be laid or complaint made by the prosecutor or complainant in person or by his counsel or solicitor or other person authorised in that behalf.\n(2) Subject to any provision of the Act of 1980 and any other enactment, an information or complaint need not be in writing or on oath.\n(3) It shall not be necessary in an information or complaint to specify or negative an exception, exemption, proviso, excuse or qualification, whether or not it accompanies the description of the offence or matter of complaint contained in the enactment creating the offence or on which the complaint is founded.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Rule 4(1)(2) replaced (4.4.2005) by The Criminal Procedure Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/384), rule 7.1 (with rule 2.1); [Editorial note: This rule, the substance of which is reproduced in and referred to by the Criminal Procedure Rules, is revoked when those Rules come into force by virtue of the provisions of 2003 c. 39, S.I. 2004/2066 and S.I. 2004/2035, see CrimPR rule 2.1 note.]"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Rule 4(3) replaced (4.4.2005) by The Criminal Procedure Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/384), rule 7.2 (with rule 2.1); [Editorial note: This rule, the substance of which is reproduced in and referred to by the Criminal Procedure Rules, is revoked when those Rules come into force by virtue of the provisions of 2003 c. 39, S.I. 2004/2066 and S.I. 2004/2035, see CrimPR rule 2.1 note.]"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Rule 4 in force at 6.7.1981, see rule 1(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/552/rule/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T18:40:56.682539+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."
}