Criminal Courts and Lay People; Jurisdiction of the Mags and Crown Court, including classification of offences and pre-trial procedure

Question 1

Magistrates’ Court
What types of offences does the Magistrates’ Court have jurisdiction to hear

Answer 1

Has jurisdiction to hear
- Summary offences
- Some triable either-way offences
- And the first hearing of indictable offences

Question 2

What are the mags court sentencing powers

Answer 2

• The court has the power to sentence an offender to a maximum of 6 months imprisonment (for one offence)
• and or up to a 5000 fine

Question 3

What does LASPO give the courts

Answer 3

LASPO (Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012) gives the court additional powers to issue higher penalties on offenders who have committed ‘Level Five’ offences

Question 4

What else does the mags court deal with

Answer 4

Deals with;
- Ancillary matters including the grant of bail, legal aid and the grant of search or arrest warrants and extension to custody times

Question 5

Crown Court;
What category of offences does the crown court have jurisdiction to hear

Answer 5

-Triable either-way
-Indictable offences

Question 6

What are their sentencing powers

Answer 6

-The court has unlimited sentencing powers (subject to statutory guidelines)

Question 7

Where do they have jurisdiction to hear appeals from

Answer 7

It has jurisdiction to hear appeals from the magistrates court