{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-northern-ireland-1984/rule-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-northern-ireland-1984/rule-15.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1984/225",
  "legislation_title": "Magistrates’ Courts Rules (Northern Ireland) 1984",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-rules-northern-ireland-1984",
  "path": "rule/15",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "Separate warrants to be issued for each sentence imposed",
  "text": "(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), where a magistrates’ court imposes more than one sentence upon a person convicted of more than one offence a separate warrant of distress or commitment shall be issued for the purpose of giving effect to each sentence.\n(2) Where the court in imposing more than one sentence of imprisonment upon any person orders that the sentences are to run concurrently—\n(a) a warrant of commitment need not, unless under special circumstances the governor of the prison to which such person is committed otherwise requests, be issued in respect of a sentence which will expire before or on the expiration of any such sentence in respect of which a warrant of commitment has been issued; and\n(b) where only one warrant of commitment is issued under this paragraph the clerk of petty sessions shall send to the said governor, together with the warrant, particulars of the sentences which are not specified in the warrant.\n(3) Where the court orders a person convicted of more than one offence at the same time to be sent for a period of detention in a young offenders centre or to a training school or commits a child or young person to a remand home in accordance with section 74 of the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 only one warrant need be issued for the purpose of giving effect to such order and the clerk of petty sessions shall send particulars of any conviction and order not specified in the warrant to the person in charge of the young offenders centre, training school or remand home, as the case may be.\n(4) Where a sentence of imprisonment is imposed to run concurrently with or consecutively to another sentence of imprisonment, the fact shall be stated on the warrant of commitment.\n(5) Where a sentence of imprisonment is imposed to run concurrently with or consecutively to a period for which a person is ordered to be returned to prison under Article 3 of the Treatment of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 [ or Article 28 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996] the fact shall be stated on the warrant of commitment.\n(6) Where the court makes an order for the return of a person to prison under [ either of the Articles referred to in paragraph (5)] a warrant of commitment shall in every case be issued in pursuance of the order.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "S.I. 1976/226 (N.I. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 1997 No. 529 with effect from 1.1.98"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "S.I. 1996/3160 (N.I. 24)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "Words substituted by S.R. 1997 No. 529 with effect from 1.1.98"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1984/225/rule/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:32:12.928261+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."
}