CRIME — Practice — Criminal proceedings — Further directions and substituted directions applying in Crown Court and magistrates’ courts — Treatment of vulnerable defendants —Binding over orders and conditional discharges — Settling indictments — Crown Court case management — Substituted or additional forms — Criminal Procedure (Amendment ) Rules 2007

Practice Direction (Criminal Proceedings: Further Directions)

Sup Ct: Sir Igor Judge P: 30 March 2007

Text to be inserted into Parts III and IV of Practice Direction (Criminal Proceedings: Consolidation) [2002] 1 WLR 2870 (“the consolidated criminal practice direction”) and the forms which were to be added to Annex D and Annex E were set out. The amendments were to take effect on 2 April 2007 when the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2007 (SI 2007/699) came into force.

SIR IGOR JUDGE P said that this practice direction set out the text on the Treatment of Vulnerable Defendants to be inserted in Part III of the consolidated criminal practice direction (Further Directions applying in the Crown Court and Magistrates’ Courts) and also the text on Binding over Orders and Conditional Discharges. In Part IV of the consolidated criminal practice direction (Further Directions applying in the Crown Court) text on Settling the Indictment was substituted for the existing text, and text on the Management of Cases to be Heard in the Crown Court was also substituted for the existing text. The amendments to Annex D inserted two new forms and substituted one form. The new standard form of indictment was that required by the new Pt 14 rules introduced by the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2007. The new form of application for a witness summons, warrant or order, was that required by the new Pt 28 rules. The amendments to Annex E provided seven new substitute forms to be used under r 3.11(1) of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2005.

(The new text and forms, and the full text of the consolidated criminal practice direction as amended, may be found at: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/pds.htm)

Appearances: Not listed

Reported by: Clare Barsby, Barrister