Crown Court Flashcards
How many CC are there in England and Wales?
77
What is ‘first tier’
High court & Crown Court with separate judges for criminal and civil work
-CC is permanently staffed by HC judges and Circuit Judges&recorders
What is ‘second tier’
CC only
but HC judges sit there regularly to hear criminal cases as well as Circuit Judges&recorders
What is ‘third tier’
Only staffed by Circuit judges&recorders
-The most serious cases not tried here(murder, manslaughter, rape) as no HC judge to deal with them
How many cases a year do the CC deal with?
c100,000
How long do CC cases last?
several week or even months
What is an indictment
This is a document which formally sets out the chargers against the defendant
From what date did Criminal Procedure Rules begin to deal with all aspects of criminal cases?
April 2005
What is the overriding objective of the Rules?
‘criminal cases be dealt with justly’
What does the defendant have to give details about?
- any alibi
- witnesses he intends on calling to support that alibi
What is PCMH
Plea and Case Management Hearing
What is the first purpose of PCMH
To find whether the defendant is pleading guilty or not guilty
-process is called ‘arraignment’
What is the aim of the PCMH?
to speed up the actual trial process to ensure that time will not be wasted on unnecessary points
when and under what act did the court remove ‘double jeprody’ for serious cases?
criminal justice Act 2003
what replaced double jeprody?
‘new and compelling evidence’
