2. Bail Applications at Court, First Hearings Before the Magistrates, Plea Before Venue, and Case Management and Pre-Trial Hearings Flashcards
what is adjournment of a case?
case being given a different/another date
what is remand of a defendant, and what are the three types?
when a defendant is sent away and told to come back another day.
- remand on unconditional bail (in the community)
- remand on conditional bail (in the community)
- remand into custody (kept in prison until trial date)
who applies for bail?
once a prosecution objection to bail has been raised, the defence must apply for bail.
when is a bail decision first made?
first hearing in the magistrates’ court (except in murder cases, where only a Crown Court Judge can grant bail)
what happens if D’s first application is unsuccessful?
- the case will be returned to court a week later where the issue of bail can be raised a second time without any restriction or qualification
- in principle, the same submissions can be made
- sometimes the same application is denied first, but allowed the second time in front of a different bench of magistrates (or a District Judge)
what can D do after two unsuccessful bail applications?
- msut obtain a ‘certificate of full argument’ from the magistrates
- if D wishes to, D can then appeal to the Crown Court
- appeals are heard 1 BD after an appeal notice is served
bail is a _____________ issue
ongoing
As defendants have a general right to bail (s4 Bail Act), what two things are required to remand a defendant in custody at a court hearing?
- Exception to the right to bail must apply, and
- Real prospect of custodial sentence being imposed
What are six of the exceptions to the s4 right to bail ie the grounds of objection to bail?
- Substantial grounds for believing D will FTS, COB, IWW, OCJ
- D charged with offence triable in Crown Court and was on bail at the time of commission
- Custody for their own protection
- Already serving a sentence
- Insufficient information to make a decision on bail
- D has failed to surrender in the same proceedings previously
test for whether the grounds should result in an exception to bail being granted
**‘substantial grounds for believing’*
What is failure to surrender (FTS)?
it is a criminal offence to fail, without reasonable cause, to surrender to custody (turn up to court)
what are the Para 9 factors used to support the grounds for objection?
- the nature and seriousness (likely disposal)
- the character of the defendant
- the strength of the evidence
- D’s antecedents
- community ties
- associations
- the defendant’s bail record in the past
why are the grounds of objection important?
the ultimate denial of bail MUST be on the basis of a legitimate ground of objection
example of how factors support the grounds
what are some common bail conditions?
- residence at a given address
- curfew
- reporting to a local police station at given times
- surety (promise to pay)
- security (putting up money or valuable items to be forfeited)
- restrictions on movement
- restrictions on contact (witnesses, victims) to prevent OCJ or COB
- electronic monitoring
- bail hostels
- surrender of passport
what are the two things that bail conditions must be?
necessary and proportionate
What happens if you breach a bail condition?
- it is NOT a criminal offence
- but you can be arrested
- and bail will be re-assessed
Only whom can hear a bail application for a murder charge?
Crown Court Judge
What must be shown in order for a defendant charged with murder to secure bail?
No significant risk that they defendant would commit an offence likely to cause physical or mental injury to another person
How often must a court consider bail?
At each hearing
However, only how many times many a defendant make a further application on the same facts and submissions?
One additional time