(1)Whenever a person whether charged with an offence or not, is brought before any criminal court otherwise than for the purpose of giving evidence, and it appears to the court that he is a child, the court shall make due inquiry as to his age and for that purpose shall take such evidence as may be forthcoming at the hearing of the case, and shall record a finding thereon, stating his age as nearly as may be.(2)An order or judgment of the court shall not be invalidated by any subsequent proof that the age of such person has not been correctly stated to the court, and the age of the person so brought before it shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be the true age of that person and, where it appears to be court that the person so brought before it is of the age of sixteen years or upwards, the person shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed not to be a child.
