CRIME — Practice — Criminal proceedings — Substituted directions applying in Crown Court — Settling the indictment — Arraignment in two-stage trials — Count charging more than one incident — Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, ss 17–21 — Criminal Procedure Rules 2005 (SI 2005/384), rr 14, 15.1

Practice Direction (Amendment No 17 to Consolidated Criminal Practice Direction: Arraignment In Two-stage Trials)

Sup Ct: Sir Igor Judge P: 30 November 2007

The text of a new Pt IV.34 on Settling the Indictment, which was to be substituted for the existing Pt IV.34 on Settling the Indictment, in Practice Direction (Criminal Proceedings: Consolidation) [2002] 1 WLR 2870 (“the consolidated criminal practice direction”) was set out. The amendment was to take effect on 3 December 2007.

SIR IGOR JUDGE P said that this practice direction amended Pt IV.34 of the consolidated practice direction, handed down by the Lord Chief Justice on 8 July 2002, and set out in Sch 1 the text which was to be substituted for Pt IV.3 4 on Settling the Indictment. In particular, new text was inserted under the heading “Multiple offending: trial by jury and then by judge alone”. It provided for the signing of the indictment in respect of which an application was to be made under s 17 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 for a two-stage trial and arraignment. The practice direction was to be added at the end of the list of included practice directions, in Annex A of the consolidated practice direction.

Appearances: Not listed.

Reported by: Sharene P Dewan-Leeson, barrister