1 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4XY; tel 020 7332
1830.
Although this court is now administered by Her Majesty's Courts
Service, it has close historical ties with the City of London
Corporation. The Court House is situated in the centre of the City
next to Bank station and
Mansion House. The City of London owns the distinctive
trianglar building which houses the four court rooms and ten cells,
which are managed and staffed by court personnel.
The profile of work at the City of London Magistrates' Court
differs from that of magistrates's courts elsewhere due to the
City's financial role and its small residential population. The
emphasis is on financial crime at all levels of seriousness and
complexity, both national and international, with comparatively
little by way of domestic burglary or street crime. Much of the
City's caseload consists of motoring offences, and the City has no
youth or family jurisdiction.
There is a full complement of lay magistrates and no stipendiary
magistrates. The makeup of the magistracy in terms of age, sex and
ethnic origin is thought to be nearly ideal but is heavily weighted
towards professional and business occupations.
Getting there
The City of London Magistrates'
Court is situated at 1 Queen Victoria Street, adjacent to
Queen Victoria Street and Walbrook. Take exit 8 from Bank tube
station.
The following buses stop at Bank: 8, 11, 21, 242, 23, 25, 26,
43, 76, 133, 501.
The following buses stop at Cannon Street: 15, 17, 521 (Monday -
Friday peak hours only).
Alternatively, the following buses stop at St Paul's which is a 10
minute walk from the Court: 4, 56, 172.
Click here to view a
map .
Disabled court users
Step free access is available via the use of a stairlift. All
the courts and special toilet facilities are accessable to
wheelchair users. A full list of facilities and information about
suitable parking is available on request - tel 020 7332 1830.
Before you come to court
Legal aid
If you would like to be represented in court by a solicitor but
cannot afford one, you may apply for legal aid by completing a
form, which can be obtained from the office (contact details
above), from your solicitor or from some
Citizens Advice
Bureaux . Don't wait until the day of your hearing.
Your plea
If you have any doubt before you come to court as to whether you
should plead guilty, you should seek the advice of a solicitor
which may, subject to your means and the nature of the offence, be
given free of charge. Don't wait until the day of the hearing.
Documents
Please check your summons and see if you are required to bring
or send your driving licence to court.
You must send your licence to the court so that it
arrives before the hearing, unless you are coming to the court and
bringing it with you. If you have a new style licence with a
photocard you must send or bring both parts of the
licence.
Observing court proceedings
You are entitled to attend the court before the hearing to
observe the court proceedings.
Attending court
The date of the hearing
You should attend the court on the date and at the time
indicated on your summons or bail notice. If you are on bail,
failure to attend Court on time without reasonable cause is a
criminal offence for which you could be fined, sent to prison or
both.
When you need not attend
You need not attend court if (a) the COURT has advised you that
it is not necessary or (b) the COURT has sent you documents
enabling you to plead guilty in your absence. If you are summoned
for certain minor offences, you may if you wish, plead guilty and
have the case dealt with in your absence. To do this, you must read
the papers carefully, sign the part of the form which enables you
to plead guilty and return the completed form to the court.
Children
Please do not bring children to court with you. Only babies and
children over 14 years old are allowed into the court. There are no
staff who can look after them. If you need to arrange childcare, do
so as soon as possible.
When you arrive at court
Please check in which court you are to appear. The court lists
are posted on the notice board in the main foyer or you may ask the
officer on security duty. Please report to the uniformed Court
Officer on duty in the court in which you are to appear.
Duty solicitor
A duty solicitor scheme operates in this court from 10.00am and
you can receive free legal advice about your case but it is
important to note that this service is available only for people
facing charges that may lead to a prison sentence. If you do need
to have advice from a solicitor, you are strongly advised to do
this before you come to court.
Duty probation officer
A probation officer will be available. Please ask the court
officer if you would like to see the probation officer.
Procedure in court
The magistrates
Magistrates are not required to have legal qualifications but
many are of long experience and have wide knowledge of law and
procedure. They are assisted by a qualified clerk. If you address
the court, it is usual to address the Chairman as
"Sir" or "Madam" or the bench collectively as "Your
Worships".
Which court
Certain offences can only be tried in the Magistrates' Court but
for more serious cases you have the choice of being tried at the
Crown Court or the Magistrates' Court if you are not pleading not
guilty.
Pleading guilty
If you are satisfied that you are guilty of the charge you
should plead guilty when formally charged in court. After you have
pleaded guilty the Prosecutor will tell the magistrates the facts
of the case. You will then be asked if they are correct and you may
then add anything that you may think is relevant.
Pleading not guilty
If you plead not guilty the case will normally be put off to
another date for witnesses to be called to give evidence. All the
witnesses that you may wish to call must attend personally at the
adjourned hearing - letters or written statements will not usually
be sufficient. At the trial the prosecution will call their
witnesses and you will be given an opportunity to question each
one. When all the prosecution witnesses have been called you and
your witnesses may give evidence.
If, having pleaded not guilty, you later change your mind and
want to plead guilty, please tell the court at once and always long
before the hearing date. This may save you paying the costs of
witnesses for their unnecessary attendance.
Sentence
If the court finds you guilty or you have pleaded guilty, you
will be given an opportunity to explain to the magistrates any
reason for committing the offence and why you should be dealt with
leniently. If you have to pay a sum of money the court will require
details of your income and expenditure and you may ask for some
time to pay. For some more serious cases the magistrates have power
to send you to the Crown Court for sentencing if they think their
own powers are not enough.
Costs
If you are found guilty, the court may order you to pay some or
all of the prosecution costs. If you are found not guilty of all
the charges you may ask the court to order costs in your
favour.
Driving licence
If the court has ordered the endorsement of your driving licence
this will ususally be sent by the court to the DVLA so that they
can record the endorsement. They will return your licence to you at
a later date. If, however, your case involves a fixed penalty
offence only, your licence will normally be returned to you direct
from the court.
Appeal
You may appeal to a higher court if you think that the
magistrates were wrong in finding you guilty or if you think the
sentence was too severe. You are advised to see a solicitor before
appealing and free legal aid may be available for this. The normal
time allowed to lodge notice of an appeal is 21 days.
Enquiries
Enquiries should be directed to the court, your solicitors or a
Citizens Advice
Bureau . You may telephone the court on 020 7332 1830 between
8.30am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.