Part III PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

The Crown Court

Distribution of business

77F1F2F2CommittalF2Sending for trial: date of trial.

F3(1)

F4Criminal Procedure Rules shall prescribe the minimum and the maximum period which may elapse between a person’s F5being sent for trial and the beginning of the trial; and such rules may make different provision for different places of trial and for other different circumstances.

F6(2)

The trial of a person F7sent for trial—

(a)

shall not begin until the prescribed minimum period has expired except with his consent and the consent of the prosecutor;and

(b)

shall not begin later than the expiry of the prescribed maximum period unless a judge of the Crown Court otherwise orders.

F8(3)

For the purposes of this section the prescribed minimum and maximum periods shall begin with the date F9when the defendant is sent for trial and the trial shall be taken to begin when the defendant is arraigned.

F10(4)

F11In this section “relevant transfer provision” means—

(a)

section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987, or

(b)

section 53 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.