26Warrants may be granted by telephone

26 Warrants may be granted by telephone

(1) Where, by reason of circumstances of urgency, an inspector considers it necessary to do so, the inspector may make an application for a warrant under subsection 25(4), by telephone, in accordance with this section. (2) Before so making application, an inspector shall prepare an information of a kind referred to in subsection 25(4) that sets out the grounds on which the issue of the warrant is being sought, but may, if it is necessary to do so, make the application before the information has been sworn. (3) Where a Magistrate to whom an application under subsection (1) is made is satisfied: (a) after having considered the terms of the information prepared in accordance with subsection (2); and (b) after having received such further information (if any) as the Magistrate requires concerning the grounds on which the issue of the warrant is being sought; that there are reasonable grounds for issuing the warrant, the Magistrate shall complete and sign such a search warrant as the Magistrate would issue under section 25 if the application had been made in accordance with that section. (4) Where a Magistrate signs a warrant under subsection (3): (a) the Magistrate shall inform the inspector of the terms of the warrant and the date on which and the time at which it was signed, and record on the warrant the reasons for the granting of the warrant; and (b) the inspector shall complete a form of warrant in the terms given to the inspector by the Magistrate and write on it the name of the Magistrate and the date on which and the time at which the warrant was signed. (5) Where an inspector completes a form of warrant in accordance with subsection (4), the inspector shall, not later than the day next following the date of expiry of the warrant, give to the Magistrate who signed the warrant the form of warrant completed by the inspector and the information duly sworn in connection with the warrant. (6) Upon receipt of the documents referred to in subsection (5), the Magistrate shall attach to them the warrant signed by the Magistrate and deal with the documents in the manner in which the Magistrate would have dealt with the information if the application for the warrant had been made in accordance with section 25. (7) A form of warrant duly completed by an inspector in accordance with subsection (4) is, if it is in accordance with the terms of the warrant signed by the Magistrate, authority for any entry, search, seizure or other exercise of a power that the warrant so signed authorises. (8) Where it is material, in any proceedings, for a court to be satisfied that an entry, search, seizure or other exercise of power was authorised in accordance with this section, and the warrant signed by a Magistrate in accordance with this section authorising the entry, search, seizure or other exercise of power is not produced in evidence, the court shall assume, unless the contrary is proved, that the entry, search, seizure or other exercise of power was not authorised by such a warrant.