The Youth Court deals with any young person who is charged with an offence under the age of 18. The Youth Court ordinarily deals with all matters involving a young person, until they reach the age of 18 unless the matter is exceptionally serious. If the matter is so serious it can be sent to the Crown Court. This is usually for offences or Robbery, aggravated burglary, rape and murder. You cannot be charged with a criminal offence if you are under 10 years old.
All young persons aged under 16 (or under 18 and in full-time education) are entitled to Legal Aid which would cover their costs for legal representation at Court.
If a young person is due to appear before the Youth Court, they will be required to attend with a parent or guardian. There will also be a member of the Youth Offending Team present at the Youth Court hearing. The Youth Courts are designed to be less formal than Magistrates and Crown Courts and do not have a jury. It is important for a young person to have a solicitor at Court to safeguard their legal rights, legally advise them as well as guide them in what may be an unfamiliar situation. Members of the Public are not permitted to sit in the Youth Court and the matter will be heard by either three Magistrates or a District Judge.
At the hearing, the young person will be invited into the Court by the Court Usher. Both the young person’s parent or guardian and legal representative will also be present. In Court, the alleged offence will be read out to young person by the legal advisor. They will then be asked whether they accept or deny the offence that has been put to them. This is their ‘plea’. If they accept that they have committed the offence, the matter may be adjourned for sentencing and a Pre-Sentence Report may be ordered. A Pre-Sentence Report would be conducted by the Youth Offending Team and would cover the background of the young person, any mitigating features as well as the particulars of the offence. This report would then be made available for the Magistrates or the District Judge to consider prior to passing a sentence. At a sentencing hearing, the Magistrates or District Judge would then decide on the sentence, having consideration of the Pre-Sentence Report and the evidence which may include any previous convictions, remorse and personal circumstances. Our Solicitors would guide you through the process and put forward your mitigation which are your personal circumstances on your behalf.
If the young person is to deny the offence, by entering a ‘not guilty plea’ the matter would be adjourned for a trial at a later date. During this period, our experienced Solicitors would work with both the young person and their parent or guardian to build their defence case prior to their trial. It is important that the young person is legally represented as Court procedure can be both difficult and overwhelming for the young person to understand. At trial, the matter would be heard by three Magistrates or a District Judge rather than a jury. If the young person is convicted of the offence, the matter would proceed to sentencing either on the day, or at a later date if a Pre-Sentence Report is ordered.
If the matter is sent to the Crown Court you would often have a Barrister to represent you, alongside a solicitor to assist you with the process and build your defence and case with you. We work with a variety of experienced Barristers, and also have an in-house Barrister at Paul Robinson.
We can help right through from the first police station interview whether it’s a voluntary interview, or an interview on arrest. We offer a 24 hour service covering police stations to help advise and represent you at the police station. Our Solicitors are highly experienced in dealing with Youth Court matters. Quite often just the legal words can be overwhelming, and the procedure may be daunting. We can help you through the process, explaining everything as we go along.
If you require assistance at a Youth Court, please do not hesitate to contact our experienced Solicitors who will be able to assist you. Paul Robinson Solicitors on 01702 338338 or 01702 342525.
