Live in the UK and had a summons to attend court?
If you have been charged with an offence in the UK you will then be expected to attend a Youth Court, Magistrate’s Court or Crown Court – the severity of the offence will determine where the case will first be heard. Being charged with an offence committed in the UK is a stressful position to be in. You need to spend your time and money wisely by ensuring that you have good legal representation. courtsolicitors.org.uk are a team of UK solicitors whose specialism is UK court cases/procedures – they can be found through the Solicitor Search Network – click that you require a solicitor with court related expertise and your UK location.
Not sure of the differences between a Magistrate’s Court and a Crown Court?
In the UK, if you are over 18 then a Youth Court will not apply and you will find yourself having to attend either a Magistrate’s Court or a Crown Court. There are differences between the two types of court whereby the type of offence you are accused of will initially determine where your case will by heard. Your solicitor will explain to you the differences and the procedures you will be involved in. Only the most serious cases go straight to the Crown Court and are referred to as “indictable-only” types of offence for example murder, manslaughter, rape. Since you can expect to wait up to 18 weeks to attend court this gives your solicitor time to prepare you and your defence.
If you are expected to appear at a Magistrate’s Court then this is usually for low – medium offences. The types of cases UK Magistrates hear are “summary offences” such as motoring, affray or minor assault offences. In the UK the medium level severity cases are called “Either way” offences which are what the name suggests – quite simply cases that could be heard in either court. Sometimes a case will start off in the Magistrate’s Court but it might be that the Magistrate’s feel that their powers in sentencing are too limited in terms of level of fine or custodial sentence or your solicitor feels that you would fair better before a judge and jury.
It makes sense to ensure that you are well represented/supported from the preparation stages to the actual case itself and beyond especially where an appeal is in order. courtsolicitors.org.uk are waiting to help you.
