Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Criminal Procedure Rules definition

What does Criminal Procedure Rules mean? Criminal Procedure rules (CrimPR) set out how criminal cases are managed and conducted in England and Wales, from first appearance in the magistrates’ court through trial, sentence and appeal. They are a statutory code made by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee under section 69 of the Courts Act 2003 and are supplemented by the Criminal practice Directions. The Rules apply in the magistrates’ courts, the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), and to extradition proceedings, including appeals in the High Court (Administrative Court). Key features include the overriding objective (dealing with cases justly), active...

Single Justice Procedure and Automatic Online Conviction and Penalty: Eligibility, Procedure, Time Limits, Evidence, Sentencing and Challenges in Magistrates’ Courts (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

The single justice procedure

The single justice procedure came into force on 13 April 2015. Its core provisions sit in sections 16A–16F of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 (MCA 1980), supported by the Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 (CrimPR 2025), SI 2025/909. It is designed to handle high-volume, low-level crime more efficiently, removing the need for parties to attend a hearing.

Since 7 November 2023, defendants facing specified summary-only, non-imprisonable offences have been able to choose an automatic online conviction and penalty under MCA 1980, ss 16G–16M. This approach is described as the ‘automatic online conviction and penalty for certain summary offences’ and is intended to ease the continuing court backlog by allowing defendants in low-level cases to plead guilty and receive penalties without appearing in court.

The definitive list of offences eligible for the automatic online conviction service will be set by a statutory instrument that has not yet been made. A single justice may deal only with summary-only, non-imprisonable offences committed by adults or organisations. Where the single justice procedure applies, the...

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Alex McHugh

Pump Court Chambers

Alex McHugh joined Pump Court Chambers following successful completion of his pupillage. His key areas of practice are criminal defence, family, and landlord & tenant disputes. Prior to joining Chambers, Alex worked as a paralegal for a number of years at a Legal 500 firm in London. Two of those years were spent in crime under the stewardship of extremely experienced senior partners. Alex helped manage cases from beginning to end and represented all manner of clients in respect of a full range of alleged offences. As counsel, Alex defends his clients throughout every stage of proceedings. Alex accepts private and, where applicable, publicly funded briefs on road traffic offences, and has experience in representing clients in relation to speeding, drinking driving, “totting up”, and causing injury by dangerous driving offences. Alex predominantly works across the Western Circuit, London, and the South East. ...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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