# Magistrates’ Courts Rules (Northern Ireland) 1984, Rule 12A: [ Postal Service of Summons for offences prosecuted by [(d)...] the Director of Public Prosecutions

Extent: N.I.

(1) Subject to paragraph (6), in cases of [...] offences prosecuted[...] by the Director of Public Prosecutions, service of the summons may be effected by post in accordance with paragraph (2).]
(2) Service of a summons under this Rule shall be effected by sending a copy of the summons by ordinary post in an envelope addressed to the person to be served at his usual or last known place of abode or at his place of business.
(3) Where a summons is to be served in accordance with paragraph (2) the person posting the envelope containing the copy of the summons shall endorse on the original summons his name [...] or description and the date and place of posting of the envelope and shall complete and sign a certificate of service in Form 110A.
[(4 If the person summoned fails to appear in answer to a summons served in the manner authorised by paragraph (2), such service shall not be deemed valid unless an acknowledgment of service in—
(a) Form 110B; or
(b) in cases where the procedure of pleading guilty by post under Article 24(1A) of the Order is available to the defendant, in Form 6 or Form 6A as appropriate,
appearing to be signed by the defendant or his solicitor is produced to the court.]
(5) Unless the contrary is proved—
(a) the signed acknowledgement shall be taken as proof of service; and
(b) the document shall be deemed to have been served at the time at which the envelope containing it would have been delivered in the ordinary course of post.
[(6 This Rule shall not apply to summonses which, under any statutory provision, require personal service upon the person to be served.]
(7) Nothing in this Rule shall prevent the service of a summons by any other method allowed for under these Rules.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1984/225/rule/12A (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-northern-ireland-1984/rule-12A
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.