Some criminal court trials don’t go ahead as planned. Some, called ‘cracked’ cases, don’t go ahead on the intended date at very short notice but don’t need rescheduling – this might be because the defendant entered a guilty plea, or the prosecution drops the case. But other trials that don’t go ahead and do need rescheduling are called ‘ineffective’ – this might be because the prosecution or the defence aren’t ready to begin the trial, or the defendant doesn’t attend as instructed. Those cases that do go ahead are said to be ‘effective’.

You will be kept up to date on any changes to your trial date by your Voice support worker.