accident june 2006

[foreverpools]

since the accident i have been charged with driving without due care and attention and i must attend magistrates court on tuiesday after already pleading not guilty by letter,will this be dealt with on tuesday or will it go further?it is me against the lady driver who went into the side of me.

[sarnieken]

Should be sorted Tuesday. What has your solicitor said?

[JudgeJ]

If you have pleaded not guilty your case will need a pre-trial review. This is necessary to determine how much evidence is to be presented and how much court time is needed. After this has been decided a trial date will be fixed. Depending upon the area you can expect a delay of two or three months to the trial.

[foreverpools]

judgej,so will it just be dealt with at the magistrates?

[markja]

if you have allready had the first hearing and you pleaded not guilty then this second hearing will probably be the one that deals with it in full. unless one of the partys needs more time to get more evidence witnesses etc.

[JudgeJ]

Yes, your trial will be heard by the magistrates. Careless driving (along with about 99% of other motoring offences) is a �Summary� offence and is dealt with to a conclusion in the magistrates� court, even in the event of a not guilty plea..

The usual sequence of events (and the minimum number of hearings) for a defended matter is:

1. First hearing. Defendant enters plea (not guilty)
2. Pre-Trial review to establish witness availability and to estimate court time needed.
3. Trial

There may be more hearings than this if, say, either side is not ready and seeks an adjournment.