The more serious cases are usually sent to the crown court where they have greater powers of punishment.
At the first hearing in the crown court you will probably be expected to enter a plea to the charge(s) against you. If you plead guilty you could be sentenced immediately but more usually, your case would be adjourned for 3 weeks
during which time you will be interviewed by someone from the National Probation Service who will then prepare a pre-sentence report for the court.
If you plead not guilty your case will be adjourned for trial and the court will make various directions regarding the disclosure of evidence and other case management issues.
Trial
When it comes to trial, some cases are given a fixed date for trial but the majority of cases go into the “warned list” system which means that your case could be heard at very short notice at any time during a particular two week period. Sometimes cases are not called into their warned list and have to be adjourned to a future warned list. Although this system is far from ideal, it is one that we are well used to working with and we will always do our best to give you as much notice as possible and to avoid any dates which are inconvenient for you.
Wheldon law
At Wheldon Law we are experienced in defending the most serious allegations including murder, robbery, sexual offences , GBH, drugs offences and all manner of frauds.
We understand that facing serious charges is very stressful, not only for you but also for your loved ones. We will do everything we can to guide you through the process and we promise you that we will leave no stone unturned in achieving the best possible outcome for you.
If your case is sent to the crown court or if you choose to have your case heard there, we will appoint one of our team to be responsible for all the preparation of your case and to be your first point of contact in the firm. They will go through all the prosecution papers with you and take your detailed instructions. They will also be responsible for instructing an advocate to represent you in the crown court. Your advocate may be an independent barrister from one of the chambers of barristers we use or it may be one of our own in-house crown court advocates. Either way, you will have plenty of opportunity to discuss your case with us and your advocate before the trial.
If you are entitled to legal aid we can complete an application with you and submit it on your behalf (please see our Legal Aid page for eligibility). Alternatively, you may prefer to pay for your representation in which case we can provide you with a competitive fixed fee quote. If you are facing court proceedings call us on 01442 242999 for a free, no obligation chat about your case. Alternatively you can email us at hello@wheldonlaw.co.uk
Testimonials
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