From what event does the limitation period for a child abuse crime begin to run, and when is its progress suspended?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In a practice file we read the papers showing the victim's date of birth, to fix the day the victim came of age, and the papers showing when the child protection case was transferred to the court, since those facts fix the start and the suspension of the period.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading says that, despite the Criminal Procedure Act, the limitation period for a child abuse crime runs only from the day the victim child came of age, and its progress is suspended from the time the child protection case is transferred to the court.
Another reading stresses the proviso: the suspension ends at once and the period runs from that point if a final decision is made not to dispose of the case, or if the case is transferred on under the applied provisions, so the transfer does not freeze the period indefinitely.
Your judgment
If the file shows the case was transferred to the court but no final decision on disposal, what papers would show which of the proviso's two events has occurred?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We look at this again if the provision is amended to change the event from which the period runs or the events that end the suspension, or if a court decision explains when the suspension takes effect.