Revised: 04 February 2019, 28 November 2023, 4 July 2024

The guidance sets out how charging decisions are to be approached in cases involving persons who assist or encourage another to commit a crime. These persons are known as accessories or secondary parties.

Updated: 14 June 2023

The prosecutor has an important responsibility to ensure fairness both to the defendant and the victim regarding the acceptability of pleas and assistance to the court at sentence.

Updated: 05 November 2019; 15 October 2024

Updated: 09 September 2022; 12 September 2024

All Coronavirus-related guidance aggregated to this page on 25 July 2023

Updated: 21 June 2019. Updated: 4 November 2021; 1 February 2024

In a case which involves a dog dangerously out of control, a choice lies between an application by way of a civil complaint under the Dogs Act 1871 for an Order for the control or destruction of a dog, and a criminal prosecution under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

updated 19 December 2019

Part 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) contains provisions for a prosecution appeal against adverse rulings by Crown Court judges in respect of trials on indictment. Section numbers in this guidance refer to the 2003 Act unless otherwise stated.