Not Guilty yer Honour....Pre-Court Events and Legal Assistance  So if you've got into that unfortunate position where you've committed a crime, been arrested and charged for it and it's the first time you've gone this far....you're going to be bricking it. You shouldn't have been so goddamn stupid but you will still need some guidance as to what will happen to you next. I mean do you know what court you're going to? Do you think there's gonna be a jury and two lawyers parading around like in the movies? Well if you do, you're not going to know what hit yer, you don't have a clue what it will be like but that's where we come in.
Here's a look at the Courts in the UK:  Right so I've been charged, what's next?
Well you're charge card will tell you when you're due in court, it has the exact date and time, you may also get a summons sent to you as well. So will I definitely appear in court then? That's difficult to say as although the Police are the ones who investigate the offence, arrest the suspect(s) and charge them, they do not make the decision on whether the case continues and goes to court. This is done by a body independent from the Police and made up of lawyers called the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). If the CPS decide that either the offence isn't serious enough to go to trial or there is not a realistic prospect of conviction then the case will be dropped and you won't be prosecuted...you've got off luckily.  How long will it take till I know whether I'll go to court or not?
This can't be easily worked out and will vary from case to case but it can take up to 6 months. If it's an offence where the case is heard in the magistrates and then goes to a higher court, the wait for the full proceedings maybe even longer! How can I defend myself in court, lawyers aren't cheap you know?  Well you can get something called Legal Aid, which can help pay for advice leading up to court and the presentation of your case. If you are summoned to court try to get it ASAP, if you're summoned to the Magistrates' or Crown Court you could get help to pay for a solicitor or barrister. Legal Aid has been cut back recently and will be dependant on how much you earn and you may have to pay some of it yourself even if you get it.
Who should I use to help me and what happens if I can't get Legal Aid? Well you can use the solicitor who first saw you at the Police Station or you can use a different one it is up to you. However if you're at court without a solicitor you can ask to see the Duty Solicitor there or you can ask the magistrates to delay until you've spoken to someone. This is free but the magistrates will ask why you hadn't sorted beforehand. So you've read all about the Pre-Court Events and Legal Assistance, if you wanna know more you're gonna have to read about: The laws stated in this article apply only to England and Wales
by ChrisM
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