Content warning. This episode contains details (relevant to the legal issues being considered) of a case concerning the murder of a young woman in terrible circumstances which may cause distress to listeners.

In the vast majority of cases, once you have been sentenced, the prosecution are not entitled to appeal against that sentence, except where the sentence is within a relatively small category of offences which can be overturned by the Court of Appeal as being ‘unduly lenient’. In this episode we look at how this process really works.

And there are also situations where the prosecution can, following an acquittal, seek to clarify a point of law by appealing to the Court of Appeal (an Attorney-General’s reference), but whatever the outcome, it will not affect the defendant’s not guilty verdict. 

Contrast this with the situation where the prosecution can seek to appeal against what is commonly known as a ‘terminating ruling’ by a Crown Court Judge (i.e. a legal ruling which usually has the effect of bringing the case to an end, such as the judge agreeing with a defence submission of no case to answer) where the Court of Appeal can set that ruling aside (sometimes very quickly) and the defendant, instead of believing that his or her case was at an end, must now see the trial through to its logical conclusion and await the jury’s verdict.

Thanks for listening.

NOTES

Throughout this podcast I have referred to legislation, cases and to further information and reading. Becoming a member of Defence-Barrister.co.uk gives you access to information on what is covered in this podcast, as well as detailed guides and information on trials, sentencing and appeals. https://www.defence-barrister.co.uk/subscribe 

PLEASE NOTE:

It is a pleasure to hear from you and to answer your questions, but due to the matters set out below please understand that there are certain questions I am unable to respond to:

Please bear in mind that this podcast is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

I am unable to provide legal advice on your specific case. If you require legal advice about a specific case or legal problem it is vital that you seek legal advice from a legal professional, such as a barrister or solicitor.

Due to contempt of court provisions and other legal requirements, I am limited in what I can say about ongoing legal proceedings in any court.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Music and content created and recorded by Chris Kessling © 2024. All rights reserved.

External links to (and provision of information from) .gov.uk websites, the sentencing council website (sentencingcouncil.org.uk), the Judiciary website (judiciary.uk) and other information subject to Crown copyright is provided under the terms of the open goverment licence.