What are the consequences of a conviction becoming spent?
If a conviction of a person is considered spent, the benefit provided to the person is that s/he is not required to disclose to any other person, for any purpose, information concerning the spent conviction. Secondly, any question concerning the person’s criminal history is taken to refer only to any convictions of the person which are not spent. Finally, where an Act or statutory instrument applies to a person, any reference to a conviction is taken to be a reference only to any convictions of the person which are not spent, and any reference to a person’s character or fitness does not provide for consideration of spent convictions in that assessment.
