UK Offence Report

Failure to comply with directions

article 75 of The Hinkley Point C (Nuclear Generating Station) Order 2013

This offence was read from the text as made, and no revised version was available, so a later revocation could not be ruled out. Check the current text at legislation.gov.uk.

What the provision says

75 The master of

a vessel who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with

a general direction or

a special direction shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to

a fine not exceeding level

4 on the standard scale.

Text as made, from legislation.gov.uk. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.

Who it binds, and what has to be proved

Binds
a master
Conduct
breaching the provision
Fault element
Strict liability
Burden of proof
An element of the offence, for the prosecution to prove

The prosecution must prove that the conduct happened. This is a strict liability offence as drafted: the provision uses no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence, so there is no need to show that a master meant to do it, knew about it, or was careless.

Intention, knowledge and carelessness are irrelevant to guilt. They may still matter a great deal to sentence.

“Without reasonable excuse” here is an element of the offence rather than a defence, so its absence is for the prosecution to prove (R v Charles [2009] EWCA Crim 1570).

Classifier’s reasoning: no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence in the offence or its provision; qualified by reasonable excuse (an element; prosecution disproves once raised).

The defence, as drafted

75 The master of a vessel who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a general direction or a special direction shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

What would breach article 75?

These are illustrations, not law. They are generated from the provision’s own words to show the shape of the offence. Whether any particular conduct is caught depends on the full text, on any amendment since, and on the facts.

  1. On these words an offence is committed where a master fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a general direction or a special direction.
  2. Doing what the provision prohibits, or failing to do what it requires under the Hinkley Point C (Nuclear Generating Station) Order 2013.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Summary only — tried in a magistrates’ court
Maximum fine
£2,500
Standard scale
Level 4
Maximum prison (summary)
Not determined

Sentencing

Offences of this kind are usually sentenced under the guidelines below. This is a mapping by subject, not a finding about this provision, and the links go to a search of the Sentencing Council’s own site.

Prosecution figures

No published per-offence figure was found for this provision, and it could not be matched to a Ministry of Justice offence code. Offences created by statutory instrument very largely do not have one. Absence of a figure is not evidence that the offence is unused.

Status and lifecycle

Current status
Status not determined
Made
18 March 2013
In force from
9 April 2013
Extent
Not stated

How this was established: read from the text as made; no revised version available, so later revocation could not be ruled out.

What the instrument is for

(This note is not part of the Order) — the explanatory note published with the instrument, © Crown copyright.

This Order grants development consent and authorises NNB Generation Company Limited to construct, operate and maintain a nuclear powered generating station Hinkley Point in Somerset, to be known as Hinkley Point C and comprising two European Pressurised Reactor units, as well associated development. The Order imposes requirements in connection with the development and associated development. The Order permits NNB Generation Company limited to acquire, compulsorily, or by agreement, lands and rights in land and to use land for the purposes of the development and supporting development. A copy of the book of reference, plans and other documents referred to in the Order, certified in accordance with article 43 of the Order (certification and construction of plans and documents) may be inspected free of charge at the offices of West Somerset District Council (West Somerset House, Killick Way, Williton, Taunton, TA4 4QA) or Sedgemoor District Council (Bridgwater House, King Square, Bridgwater, TA6 3AR).

Read the full note and every offence in this instrument

Other offences in the same instrument

How this was identified as an offence

Everything above rests on the judgement that this provision creates a criminal offence, rather than mentioning one. That judgement is made by rule, from the words of the provision, and this is the rule that made it — with a confidence of 0.92.

Basis
the provision says a person is “guilty of an offence”
Confidence
0.92 of 1.00

A provision that states a penalty for an offence created elsewhere can read very like one that creates an offence, and the rules can mistake the one for the other. If the text quoted above sets a penalty for something made an offence by another provision, treat the classification on this page with that in mind, and read the instrument.

Check the source