Once a crime has been

broken, the victim will tell

the police what has happened;

and this is called making a

Statement.

Stage 1 – Law is Stage 1 – Law is BrokeBroke

Now the police will find out about the person who has

been accused, and if they believe the person is guilty,

the police will take the accused to the police station; this is called making

an Arrest.

Once at the police station the arrested person can ask for

help from a Solicitor. A solicitor is someone who knows all about the law.

The police officers who are finding out about

the crime will Question the

arrested person.

Stage 2 - Stage 2 - ChargesCharges

After Questioning the police can either:• Let the person go• Ask a magistrate for 24 hours more questioning time• Or Charge the person

A charge is when the police are formally accusing them of the crime, they must have evidence to do this.

1) The charged person will then

appear in the magistrates’ court.

2) The Charge sheet will be read out, and this explains what the person

has been accused of.

3) The solicitor may ask for bail, and the magistrates

decide whether to remand into

custody or bail.

This is how the magistrates court is laid out.

More info on the next slide…

Stage 3Stage 3

RemandRemand

Remanded in custody

Someone who has been charged must stay locked up until they

appear in court again.

Remanded on bail

This means they are charged with a crime but can go free until they

appear in court again. Bail conditions mean a promise to behave in a certain way, maybe to not go near the crime victim.

1) The accused person and their solicitor write down exactly what they say has happened,

statement.2) Police help other people who have seen what happened, witnesses, to write down what they saw.3) The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) get all of the information and see if there is enough evidence to prove the person did the crime.

Stage 4Stage 4

Get ready for Get ready for courtcourt

Most defendants now appear in court. There is no jury, just the magistrates, the judges, make the decisions.

1) The defendant has to say if they are 'guilty' or 'not guilty'.

If the defendant says that they are guilty then the magistrates make their decision overwhat the punishment will be., called

sentencing. If the defendant says they are not guilty then the Crown Prosecution Service tellsthe court why they think theyare guilty.

Stage 5Stage 5

Magistrates Magistrates Court Court

The more serious crimes, like murder, are dealt with in Crown Courts. A judge and jury make the decisions whether guilty or not guilty. A jury is a group of 12 randomly selected ordinary people across the country. When the jury have heard the reasons for the defendant being guilty and the reasons for them being innocent they make their decision. There

needs to be at least 10 of the jury to agree on their ‘verdict’.

Stage 6Stage 6

The Crown Court The Crown Court

Stage 7Stage 7

SentenceSentence