Criminal charges

Criminal charges are brought against a person when, following investigation of a crime, the police believe they have gathered enough evidence for the suspect to face criminal charges and go to court. The Crown Prosecution Service are responsible for prosecuting individuals charged with an offence and they also have responsibility for deciding if a suspect is to be charged (except in cases where the offence is very minor) and if so what the criminal charges will be. From when the decision on whether to lay criminal charges is made, the Crown Prosecution Service retains all responsibility for the prosecution, including collecting the evidence on which the prosecution intend to rely and presenting the evidence to the court.

In deciding whether a person should be prosecuted, the Criminal Prosecution Service must consider whether there is enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and consider whether it is in the public interest for a prosecution to be brought. In some circumstances the police will be responsible for deciding if the suspect is to be charged, but this is likely to be the case only in the event that the charge is minor and the suspect is likely to enter an early guilty plea.

When a suspect is charged at the police station, the suspect should be cautioned on charge and given a written charge sheet which gives the particulars of the offence. Following criminal charges being brought, a suspect cannot be interviewed further by police except in a few specified circumstances.

If you would like to obtain legal advice on criminal charges, Contact Law can put you in touch with a local specialist criminal solicitor free of charge. So, if you have any questions or would like our help in finding local criminal solicitors please call us on 0800 046 1464 or complete the web-form above.