Section 12: Continuation of restraint order after quashed conviction
69.This section inserts new subsections (6A) and (6B) into section 42 of POCA to provide for the continuation of a restraint order following the quashing of a conviction but before the start of proceedings for a retrial, so that the defendant is not afforded the opportunity to dissipate any assets that are subject to the restraint order during this interregnum.
70.Section 40 of POCA sets out the conditions that must be satisfied for the Crown Court to make a restraint order. The second condition for making a restraint order (section 40(3) of POCA) is that –
proceedings for an offence have been started in England and Wales and not concluded, and
there is reasonable cause to believe that the defendant has benefited from his criminal conduct.
The court is required to discharge any restraint order made in pursuance of this condition at the conclusion of the proceedings (section 42(6) of POCA). Where a person is convicted of an offence and the conviction is subsequently quashed on appeal, the proceedings are deemed to have concluded at the point at which the conviction is quashed (section 85(4) of POCA). These provisions when taken together require any restraint order to be discharged once the conviction has been quashed, irrespective of whether the prosecution intends to re-try the defendant for the offence(s) in question. The prosecution will not be able to apply for a fresh restraint order until the proceedings for the retrial have been commenced.
71.New section 42(6A) of POCA switches off the duty to discharge a restraint order and instead provides for an existing restraint order to continue in force where a conviction has been quashed and either the Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial or the prosecution has applied to the court for the case to be retried. New section 42(6B) provides for the subsequent discharge of such a restraint order if any of three scenarios apply:
The Court of Appeal refuses to make an order for a retrial following an application by the prosecution;
The Court of Appeal has made an order for a retrial but there is an undue delay in starting proceedings (under section 8(1) of the Criminal Appeals Act 1968 the proceedings must usually be started within two months, although the Court of Appeal may extend this period); or
The proceedings for the retrial of the defendant have concluded either as a result of those proceedings being discontinued or as a result of the conviction or acquittal of the defendant following the retrial. Where the retrial results in a conviction, the restraint order can be replaced by a confiscation order.
