The Courts-Martial (Royal Navy) Rules 2007

Preliminary hearing

33.—(1) The judge advocate may direct the court administration officer to list a hearing for the purpose of arraigning the accused, giving directions, orders and rulings in preparation for trial by court-martial—

(a) of his own motion; or

(b) on the application of the prosecuting authority or accused,

and such a hearing shall be referred to in these Rules as a preliminary hearing.

(2) For the purposes of this rule, a hearing is a preliminary hearing if it takes place before the commencement of the trial.

(3) An application for a preliminary hearing shall—

(a) be made to the court administration officer in the form set out in Schedule 2 to these Rules; and

(b) specify the reason for which it is made.

(4) Subject to rule 35, the applicant shall serve notice of the application in writing on every other party to the proceedings and the court administration officer.

(5) Before directing the court administration officer to list a preliminary hearing, the judge advocate shall afford each party to the proceedings the opportunity of making written representations to him.

(6) Paragraph (5) shall not oblige the judge advocate to afford any party the opportunity of making representations where it appears to him that it would be impracticable to do so, or would cause unnecessary delay, or where the application is made in accordance with rule 35.

(7) On receipt of a direction from the judge advocate under paragraph (1), the court administration officer shall—

(a) appoint the date, time and place at which the preliminary hearing will take place;

(b) issue a notice in writing of the date, time and place appointed;

(c) list in the notice such of the matters contained in Schedule 3 to these Rules to be addressed at the hearing as the judge advocate may request;

(d) subject to rule 35, serve the notice on the parties to the proceedings; and

(e) arrange for the attendance at the hearing of a court recorder and, if the judge advocate or any party so requests, an interpreter.

(8) If in advance of the hearing the judge advocate so directs, the prosecuting authority shall—

(a) prepare an outline of the prosecution case; and

(b) serve a copy of that outline on the accused and the judge advocate.