Member

Why is this amendment needed? Currently, the Crown Prosecution Service can end proceedings in two ways in the Crown Court. First, within a narrow time frame, it can discontinue proceedings, which would allow it to reinstate proceedings at a later point. Secondly, it can offer no evidence, which it can do up until the start of the trial, and this acts as an acquittal of the defendant, meaning that even where proceedings are ended in error, there is no means to reinstate them. Due to the narrow time frame for discontinuing a case in the Crown Court, where the CPS decides to end a prosecution, it often has no other option but to offer no evidence.