218Reading aloud of victim impact statement

218 Reading aloud of victim impact statement

(1) A person who has made a victim impact statement may request that any part of that victim impact statement—

(a) is read aloud or displayed in the course of the sentencing hearing by—

(i) the person making the request; or

(ii) a person chosen by the person making the request who consents and who is approved by the Children's Court for that purpose; or

(b) is read aloud in the course of the sentencing hearing by the prosecutor.

(2) If a request is made under subsection (1), and the person specified in the request is available to do so during the course of the sentencing hearing, the Children's Court must ensure that any admissible parts of the victim impact statement that are—

(a) identified in the request; and

(b) appropriate and relevant to sentencing—

are read aloud or displayed by the person or persons specified in the request in open court in the course of the sentencing hearing.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), the Children's Court may direct the person who made the request or the person chosen by that person as to which admissible parts of the victim impact statement are appropriate and relevant to sentencing.

(4) Nothing in this section prevents the presiding judicial officer from reading aloud any admissible part of a victim impact statement—

(a) in the course of sentencing the child; or

(b) at any other time in the course of the sentencing hearing.