Which Court Am I Going To Visit?
Queensland includes a court hierarchy comprising three tiers. All criminal charges commence within the Magistrates Court, which views bail, resolves simple offences and commits the greater serious offences either to the District or Top Court. These greater courts also provide an appellate jurisdiction and may resolve both factual and sentencing disputes. The majority of criminal appeals however they are determined before a panel of 3 to 5 Top Court idol judges who comprise a legal court of Appeal.
Justice of the peace COURT:
The Magistrates Court may be the first Court within the Queensland Court arrest hierarchy. All criminal and traffic expenditure is commenced within this jurisdiction. Generally at a lower price serious matters this method will originate by a Notice to look or using a Complaint and Summons. More severe charges will start by having an arrest as well as an application for bail.
A Justice of the peace has the ability to allow bail with regards to all offences except an offence transporting jail time for existence, which can’t be mitigated or varied underneath the Criminal Code or other law or perhaps an indefinite sentence underneath the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992, part 10.
Statistics demonstrate the Magistrates Court would be the busiest Court within the Condition. Within the 2009-2010 financial year the Magistrates Court finalised 170,685 defendants. This comes even close to 5,457 defendants finalised in Queensland Greater Courts,
The Magistrates Court largely conducts summary offences for example traffic infringements, shoplifting, and public nuisance matters. Sometimes a legal court determines less serious indictable offences involving burglary, assault, fraud and medicines.
A Justice of the peace is really a unique judicial position in that they’re needed to determine both relevant law and also the details of the disputed matter. The Magistrates Court doesn’t have the advantage of a jury to look for the details of the situation.
For additional serious offences, the Justice of the peace has got the administrative purpose of figuring out whether there’s sufficient evidence to put an accused on trial inside a greater court. In which the Justice of the peace determines that there’s inadequate evidence there is a capacity to dismiss the charge. Where however, a legal court determines that there’s a prima facie situation they have to commit the accused either to the District or Top Court for trial.
DISTRICT COURT:
The District Court determines more severe indictable charges for example rape, armed robbery, fraud and a few drug matters. Matters generally go to this jurisdiction following an administrative consideration with a Justice of the peace within the lower court. This method is actually a Committal Hearing and sometimes implies that there was already mix-examination conducted around the prosecution witnesses.
