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Serious offences and district court touring

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  • 30-08-2006 5:19am
    #1
    Our man in Havana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,476 ✭✭✭✭


    Just a quick question, when a person is charged with a serious offence, say murder they are first brought before a District court where invariably they are remanded in custody to appear again before another district court a week later. This seems to be repeated for several weeks. Usually it's never the same court either. Would it not be the case the accused would be remanded in custody pending the trial?

    What is the purpose of the continous court appearances before a trial happens?

    Regards
    007


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    #2
    rondeco
    Registered Users Posts: 860 ✭✭✭rondeco


    Generally it can work like this.

    day one: person is charged in a garda station and brought to court. Court assigns a solicitor if accused is on legal aid. evidence of arrest, charge and caution is heard. For serious crimes such as murder, a person is remanded in custody for various reasons under the bail act. They are remanded generally to clover hill district court which is linked to wheatfield prison (I think) for security reasons.
    Day two: Any bail applications are heard and solicitors begin looking for full disclosure of all evidence. If person is still in custody, remand will be only for one week due to the fact that he is an innocent person in custody. If he gets bail it could be remanded for a number of weeks.Dpp's directions are usually given by this stage.
    Day three: The current status of the case is discussed. Has the book of evidence been served? If not another remand is enerally given but there is generally a rule of 42 days for this to be served from the day he is charged. Judges can grant extensions.
    Day 4: if all is done, then the accused is remanded to a sitting of the circuit court where he is charged by the court and decides how he is going to plead. A date for trial is set at the circuit court then.

    I could be wrong on a few points but this is generally how it goes. Also, outside dublin, district courts dont sit in the same area every day. So, it might be bray today, wicklow town tomorrow, arklow the day after etc..


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