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Eligibility
Whether you are eligible for legal aid or whether your opponent in litigation is legally aided can have very important consequences in litigation. Your solicitor will be able to ... |
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Criminal Procedure
There are different ways in which a person (referred to as the defendant) can be required to attend court to face prosecution for a criminal offence. He or she can be ther... |
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Criminal Prosecution
The initial decision whether or not to prosecute you is normally taken by the police, although they may consult the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers in more complex cases... |
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Rights of Suspects
Most police powers and rights for suspects are to be found in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and in the accompanying Codes of Practice. PACE originally aimed to ... |
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Representation & Funding
Criminal lawyers fall into two categories:
Solicitors, who will be your first point of contact, see clients, take instructions, prepare cases and appear in the Magi... |
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Sentence
If you are found guilty, or have pleaded guilty, the court will then go on to consider how to sentence you. At this point, the court will be told of any previous convictions you may have.
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Private Prosecutions
The right of individuals to bring private prosecutions (with certain exceptions) was included under the Prosecution of Offences Act, which set up The CPS. The CPS has the right ... |
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Broken Injunction Order
Committal Proceedings
If an injunction order is broken you can ask the court to send your opponent to prison, (committal).
You must show that your opponent has deliberat... |
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Undertakings
This is a promise given to the court. If a person is accused of violence, threats, harassment etc., then they can promise the court not to behave in this way in the future.
The per... |
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Trial
If you plead not guilty, the court will fix a date for your trial, or may, in the Crown Court, put it in a warned period of one or two weeks, when it could be heard on any day. You will need... |
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Bail
Bail from the Police Station
Once you have been charged with an offence, the police must release you on bail unless the custody officer reasonably believes that:
There is doubt about you... |
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Appeals from the Magistrates Court
You have a right of appeal from the Magistrates’ or Youth Court to the Crown Court. If you have pleaded guilty, you can only appeal against your sentence; if you... |
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Venue
This term is used by lawyers to refer to the court in which your case will be heard. All cases begin in the Magistrates’ Court or, if you are under 18, in the Youth Court. Over 90 per cent o... |
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It is a criminal offence to leave grossly offensive messages over telephone or make indecent or obscene or menacing telephone calls or calls which cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety - ... |
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Compensation
If you have been injured or your property has been damaged or stolen as a result of a crime you may be able to get compensation in a number of different ways.
If you think you may qua... |
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The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (PHA) is the main criminal legislation dealing with the offence of harassment. It can cover a wide range of conduct and behaviours, including racial or religiou... |
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Compensation
If you have been injured or your property has been damaged or stolen as a result of a crime you may be able to get compensation in a number of different ways.
If you think you may qua... |
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The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (PHA) is the main criminal legislation dealing with the offence of harassment. It can cover a wide range of conduct and behaviours, including racial or religiou... |
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Worrying Livestock
When on any enclosed land with sheep all dogs must be on a lead or 'under close control'. If you allow your dog to worry livestock you can be prosecuted and fined, ordered to pay c... |
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Anti-social behaviour has a wide legal definition – to paraphrase the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, it is behaviour which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more peopl... |
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When dealing with nuisance neighbours we're often faced with all kinds of other disturbances and problems. As anyone that has suffered with a problem neighbour will know, with disturbance and unwanted... |
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The County Court
Cases dealt with by the County Court
The county court deals with civil cases which are dealt with by a judge or district judge. A case can be started in any county court but it ... |
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Claiming Criminal Injuries Compensation
This is not a complete guide to claiming Criminal Injuries Compensation but it may answer some of your questions.
Can I apply for compensation?
If you h... |
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The solicitor’s bill
You should get your bill within a reasonable time after your solicitor has finished the work they have done for you, and it will be made up of three elements: disbursements, VA... |
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Defamation, libel and slander
The law of defamation allows people to protect their reputations. Actions exist for slander, which covers the spoken word, and libel. Libel has traditionally covered ... |
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Pre-action protocols: defamation
Pre-action protocols have been introduced in order to establish clear standards for parties preparing to bring a court action. They are intended to improve communi... |
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Proceeds of Crime Act 2002/Criminal Justice Act 1988/Drug Trafficking Act 1994/Asset Forfeiture/Detention of goods under Customs and Excise Management Act 1979The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 sets out n... |
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