The Court Officers Act 1945 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 12:

"12A.

A person who without lawful authority, wilfully -

(a) obstructs or interferes with a sheriff appointed under section 12 in the course of the performance by him or her of his or her functions or otherwise impedes the performance by the sheriff of those functions, or

(b) obstructs or interferes with a person to whom the sheriff has delegated any of his or her functions in the course of the performance by that person of any such functions so delegated or otherwise impedes the performance by that person of those functions,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both.".