The criminal process and courts

The trial court is determined by the category of the offence being tried. There are three categories of offence. These are:

■ summary – the least serious and can only be tried at a Magistrates’ Court;

■ triable either way – the middle range of offences and can be tried in either the Magistrates’ Court or the Crown Court;

■ indictable – the most serious offences and can only be tried at the Crown Court.