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Child Support Act 1991

Offences and penalties

212: Charging document may charge several offences

You could also call this:

“One document can list multiple child support crimes you're accused of”

When you break the law about child support, you can be charged with more than one crime at a time. This can happen if you did several things wrong that are related or similar.

If you’re charged with more than one crime, each one will be written down separately on the charging document. This document is like a list of the things you’re accused of doing wrong.

Usually, all these charges will be dealt with together in court. But sometimes, if the court thinks it’s fairer, they might decide to deal with one charge separately from the others.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM257087.

Topics:
Family and relationships > Children and parenting Crime and justice > Criminal law Crime and justice > Courts and legal help
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211: Proceedings must be commenced by Commissioner, or

"The Commissioner is the only one who can start legal action for child support rule-breaking"

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213: Charging document may be filed within 10 years, or

"You can report someone for breaking child support rules up to 10 years after it happened"

Part 12 Offences and penalties

212Charging document may charge several offences

  1. Any charging document may charge the defendant with any number of offences against this Act if those offences are founded on the same set of facts or form or are part of a series of offences of the same or similar character.

  2. Where a charging document charges more than 1 such offence, particulars of each offence charged shall be set out separately in the charging document.

  3. All such charges shall be heard together, unless the court, either before or at any time during the hearing, considers it just that any charge should be heard separately and makes an order to that effect.

Notes
  • Section 212: replaced, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).