Going to court for the first time

[jiriahhh]

I was wondering what i could expect to happen to me. I was getting drunk friday night at my friends house and hadent eaten all day so it effected me alot more than it should have ( i had 1liter of vodka and coke ) so i kinda blacked out there and next thing i remember was being near town and damaged 2 peoples car's ( i have no idea why i did these things ) and walked to the centre of town, bumped in to somone and hit him once in the face. Next thing i know im at the police station awnsering questions and i awnsered most of the incidents by saying "i cant remember... its kinda a blur to me" and now im going to court being charged with these three crimes. Im planning on going there and telling them the truth, that i dont know why i did these things and that i was heavily under the influence of alchole and the whole thing seems like a blur. Id usualy never do these things, its not like me atall. Any advice or help would be appreciated. Im 20 and have no job.

[Kiki-frog]

Presumably this is at your local magistrates' court. I think all you can do is dress smartly, act respectfully, tell the truth and show them that you are very sorry. You don't say how much damage was done to the cars, or how seriously injured the person you hit was. These things will probably make a difference to the outcome. If it's a first offence and you can show that you truly are sorry for what you've done, there will probably be some community service order, but a lot will depend on the severity of the damage and the injury.

[mrs_overall]

I'd suggest you try and find out who the cars belong to and offer to pay for the damage. It will stand you in good stead in court.

[craft1948]

I suggest you switch to gin..............G&T people never commit criminal damage.

[mrs_overall]

Oh, and write a letter of apology to the person you assaulted.

Craft, you may not have committed criminal damage on G&T, but what about all those pub brawls you started?

[craft1948]

That wasn't me...............it was er Fluff.

[HowardKennitby]

Have you got a solicitor? If not then I suggest you get one.
Offering to pay for damage is good but I would wait until court or whenever your solicitor advises. Contacting the car owners before the court date may not be a good idea.

[mrs_overall]

Howard, a letter passed on to the car owner via the Police won't do any harm

[Kiki-frog]

I think Howard's made a very good point. Telling the police and your solicitor that you are willing to write and apologise, and offer pay for damage makes a lot of sense, but asking police for victims' details could well go against you. I doubt the police would let you have them anyway. You'll probably be assigned a probation officer in due course, so be guided by what they tell you.

[jiriahhh]

@kiki-frog Thank you for your answer. One of the car's i put a dent to the hood of the car. The other car im not to sure what the damage was. My memory of the situation is very bad. I know it was nothing big, probably the same as the first. And the guy i hit as far as i know it was just a punch to the face, nothing serous. He just reported what i did to him and carried on with his day. Thank you for the advice of dressing smart. I was planning to just go in usual everyday cloths. And i will defo act respectfuly and tell the truth. I feel realy bad about what i have done, it was not like me to do these things atall. This isnt my first offence. My last one was 3 years ago and it was also under the influence of alchole. I broke somones door handle and payed for the damages and even went to the guys house and apologise in person.

[mrs_overall]

Do you really need anyone to tell you to lay off the excessive boozing?

[jiriahhh]

I do not have a solicitor btw and am unsure if i need one. Are they free?

[jiriahhh]

@mrs_overall No and after this incident im never touching that stuff again. Never have i done anything so recless and never want to again.

[mrs_overall]

Ring a local solicitor and ask if they do a free half hour session. (There is a name for it but I'm having a senior moment).
If they do, the first question you need to ask is if you are eligible for legal aid

[tonywiltshire]

Presumably you did not ask to speak to the duty solicitor whilst at the police station, which would have been free. You should now speak to a solicitor you may find that if you are on a means tested benefit you may be eligible for legal aid, check with the Community legal aid team on 0845 345 4345.
Speak to a solicitor as a matter of urgency.

[bednobs]

are you in america? i ask because of your american spelling of liter and the fact cars in the uk don't have hoods - they have bonnets

[jiriahhh]

@bednobs Nope im not american. Im not sure why i spell it that way but its just the way i spell it. And calling the cover over a car engine a hood sounds alot more right to me than bonnet

[jiriahhh]

The main thing im scared about is going to prison. Would that be a possibility?

[tomyoung90]

You won't go to prison for this, unless there is serious injury. It sounds like there isn't so don't worry about prison. You will not be able to rely on the defence of intoxication, as your intoxication was voluntary, but you can use it in mitigation. Kiki frog is right - you'll probably get a community order and have to pay for any damage, plus a fine and court costs. If you are unemployed your income will be treated as £100 and that will likely be your fine. Plus you might have to complete an alcohol awareness course.

A solicitor would cost between £100-200 for a mags court case. The initial interview is usually free. I would strongly recommend that you get a solicitor. Dress in smart clothes - if you don't have a suit wear a smart shirt, smart trousers and black shoes (the first impression of the judge can make all the difference, especially in mags courts). Go into court with your head down and start by pleading guilty straight away - this will lower your sentence. Then explain that you take full responsibility for your actions and apologise to everybody (victims, police, court itself). This will go down well. Also suggest that you will comply with any order made (eg. alcohol awareness).

The most important thing to do is never get drunk and get silly again. I am a year older than you and, like you I used to do stupid things when I'd had a drink. When I was 18 I got very drunk and committed a rather serious motoring offence. I did exactly what I advised you to do, did my alcohol awareness course and got my head down in school afterwards. Now I'm in my third year of a law degree. My conviction turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me - make it your wake up call too.

[NKDK]

Are you not going to tell us what u did tom? lol oh and jiriahhh stop fretting, i doubt a custodial sentence is the right punishment for a 1st offence of this nature. My 1st offence was assulting a copper and i pleaded guilty, was looking at a custodial sentence but the judge put me on a year probation order which was a trip to the local probation office every week which in my opinion was very very fair. Im not proud of what i did. Expect a community order, fine, compensation cost and all that at the very least. Do what these guys say ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ and get a solicitor dress smart and that. At the time i commited my offence i was going through a bad time, no excuse, but i was 18 and on benefits and i had a solicitor which i didn't pay for if i can remember. Call one and don't drink if u cant handle it mate. Could have been my pride and joy that u damaged and trust me if it was i would not be so forgiving. pour your heart out over a letter and hand it to a solicitor.

[jiriahhh]

Thank you all for your kind words of advice. It will defiantly help me through this mess ive caused. Ive been scared shitless about this, its defiantly not something im used to. I will take everything in what you have told me and heedfully get let off easy. I am still not sure about a solicitor. Would anyone care to explain to me how it would help me at all?