Criminal Courts and Process
The Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes criminal cases investigated by the police in England & Wales.
What happens to a person charged with a crime will depend on what type of offence has been committed. There are three classes or categories of offences:
- Summary offences, which are the least serious and are tried in the Magistrates’ Court, such as assault and battery;
- Indictable offences, which are serious and are tried in the Crown Court before a judge and jury, such as murder and robbery; and
- Triable-either-way offences which may be tried either summarily or on indictment, usually at the request of the defendant, such as theft and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
You can read the:
Here is a three-part guide to what happens during trial-on-indictment in the Crown Court:
An diagram outlining appeal routes in criminal cases, following both summary trial in the magistrates' court and trial-on-indictment in the Crown Court:
A BBC News article about the change to the double jeopardy law:
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