If you have been arrested by the police for any offence - whether for a serious driving offence, or if they suspect you of a dishonesty-related offence, or if they suspect that you have been guilty of any kind of violence - then the police take you straight away to a police station.
If this has happened to you we would very much like to hear from you as our large and leading Defence Team is well-placed to give you expert advice - free of charge - on what you can and should do, and to formally help you with your case. All you have to do is click on "Please Contact Me Now” below, or call us on 0845 567 5000.
You can be detained at a police station for up to 24 hours. That period of detention may be extended in some serious cases to 36 hours if a police superintendent authorises it, and it can be extended to up to 96 hours by a Magistrates' Court.
You may be breathalysed or have samples, e.g. blood or DNA, taken from you at the police station. You cannot object to any of these.
You may be kept in a cell during detention.
You do have certain rights during this detention at a police station though - for example to get advice from a solicitor free of charge and the right to have a solicitor with you, if you want, when you are interviewed. We will gladly attend on you to protect your interests during any such interview.
You may be interviewed formally in tape-recorded and/or video-recorded conditions. What you say during these interviews may be used as evidence against you later.
Indeed, even if you say nothing during these interviews that silence can now be used against you - the court can now draw inferences from your silence. It may be better therefore, if you are not guilty of the offences in question, to give full answers and alibis as soon as possible. The tactics that you employ in these interviews are of great importance and we help you at the outset to formulate the approach that you will take in these.
Once the police have interviewed you and have completed further enquiries perhaps, they have to decide whether to charge you or not.
If they do not charge you, they can release you from the police station though this may be on the basis that they can call you back later, or they may summons you to court later if they later decide to proceed against you.
If they do charge you before releasing you from the police station, you will be "bailed” to appear in court on a specified date at a specified time. "Bail" means that if you don't turn up at that court on time you commit an offence punishable by a fine, imprisonment or both. If they do need to make further enquiries they may bail you to return to the police station at a particular date and time.
Once the court process starts, two matters then need to be resolved.
First, which court will your case take place in - will it be the Magistrates Court or will it be transferred "upstairs” to the Crown Court? This will depend on the seriousness of the offence and on any prior convictions that you may have.
Second, you will be asked whether you plead "Guilty” or "Not Guilty” to the offence.
If you plead "Not Guilty” then the case will move on towards a trial. If you plead "Guilty” then the case will move on towards the "sentencing” process, where the court will decide the punishment that fits the offence.
Our specialist solicitors represent people day in, day out, who have been charged with the full range of offences.
As we say, we are always there for people and families who are in our PURPLE LEGAL scheme. We invite you to join PURPLE LEGAL now. By joining PURPLE LEGAL, you can have all your legal enquiries answered free of charge by simply booking a SolicitorSlot for a time and date that suits you. Alternatively if you wish to speak to us now, please click on "Please Contact Me Now” or call us on 0845 567 5000. We look forward to always being there for you.
