Page:Indictments Act 1915 (UKPGA Geo5-5-6-90 qp).pdf/7

 [5 & 6 SCHEDULES.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

1.—(1) An indictment may be on parchment or durable paper, and may be either written or printed, or partly written and partly printed.

(2) Each sheet on which an indictment is set out shall be not more than 12 and not less than 6 inches in length, and not more that 14 and not less than 12 inches in width, and if more than one sheet is required, the sheets shall be fastened together in book form.

(3) A proper margin not less than 3 inches in width shall be kept on the left-hand side of each sheet.

(4) Figures and abbreviations may be used in an indictment for expressing anything which is commonly expressed thereby.

(5) There shall be endorsed on the back of an indictment the name of every witness examined or intended to be examined by the grand jury, and the foreman of the grand jury shall write bis initials against the name of each witness so examined.

(6) An indictment shall not be open to objection by reason only of any failure to comply with this rule.

2. The commencement of the indictment shall be in the following form:— The King v. A.B. [e.g., Central Criminal Court, [or] In the High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division, [or] Durham County Assizes held at Durham, [or] Hants Quarter Sessions held at Winchester].

A.B. is charged with the following offence [offences]:—

3. Charges for any offences, whether felonies or misdemeanours, may be joined in the same indictment if those charges are founded on the same facts, or form or are a part of a series of offences of the same or a similar character.

4.—(1) A description of the offence charged in au indictment, or where more than one offence is charged in an indictment, of each offence so charged, shall be set out in the indictment in a separate paragraph called a count.

(2) A count of an indictment shall commence with a statement of the offence charged, called the statement of offence.

(3) The statement of offence shall describe the offence shortly in ordinary language, avoiding as far as possible the use of technical terms, and without necessarily stating all the essential elements of the offence, and if the offence charged is one created by statute, shall contain a reference to the section of the statute creating the offence.

(4) After the statement of the offence, particulars of such offence shall be set out in ordinary language, in which the use of technical terms shall not be necessary:

Provided that where any rule of law or any statute limits the particulars of an offence which are required to be given in an indictment, 7