Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1935

Jurisdiction to try certain offences summarily.

15.—(1) A Justice of the District Court shall have jurisdiction to try summarily any charge of an offence to which this section applies where the Justice is of opinion that the facts proved against the accused constitute a minor offence fit to be tried summarily and the accused (inquiry having been made of him by the Justice) does not object to being so tried.

(2) Where an offence is tried summarily by a Justice of the District Court in exercise of the jurisdiction conferred by this section, the punishment inflicted by the Justice for such offence shall not exceed six months' imprisonment.

(3) This section applies to the following offences, that is to say:—

(a) any offence which is declared by section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885 , to be a misdemeanour, where the accused person is over the age of sixteen years and the person with whom the act alleged to constitute the offence is committed is either under the age of sixteen years or is an idiot, an imbecile or a feeble-minded person, and

(b) indecent assault against a person under the age of fifteen years.