The Victim Statement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

Sections 33 to 35 of the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 make provision for a victim to be afforded an opportunity to make a written victim statement. This includes a family member where a person cannot act on their own behalf or where the victim has died. An opportunity to make a written supplementary statement may also be afforded on request.

These Regulations apply to cases where the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland has conduct of criminal proceedings and provide when, how and by whom the opportunity to make a statement and supplementary statement is to be afforded. The Regulations prescribe a member of staff of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland as the person that will afford the opportunity to make a victim statement. The opportunity to make a supplementary statement is to be afforded, on request, by a Family Liaison Officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, a member of staff of Victim Support Northern Ireland or a member of staff of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

The Regulations provide for the use of the statement including serving of a copy of the statement on the defence and the chief clerk or, as the case may be, the clerk of petty sessions a reasonable time before the court determines sentence.