Can the public sit in on a case heard in the UK's Court of appeal?

Question

In the UK, members of the public can sit in on a Crown Court Criminal trial, but are they allowed to sit in on a case heard in the Criminal Court of Appeal (i.e. if the convicted person is appealing their conviction)? If so, can someone please provide a link to a page (ideally a Government page) that confirms this? Thanks!

Answer 1

I worked in the Court of Appeal for six years and can assure you that ALL Court of Appeal cases, both civil and criminal, are open to the public.

I can also assure you that Court of Appeal hearings are exceptionally boring - no evidence or witnesses are heard (except in exceptional circumstances) and the proceedings are confined to legal argument.

I saw several instances where members of the public came to hear what looked to be very interesting appeals, only to leave within the hour because it was so boring.

If you want to see something interesting go to the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) and choose something nice and juicy!

Good luck.

Tempest is also wrong - applications for permission to appeal are also heard in open court. Such applications are normally confined to a 20 minute hearing because the original application has already been considered and dismissed by a judge on an application on paper.

Trust me - no need to listen to any other answers, I was a Judge's Clerk for six long years!

Answer 2

It depends on the court and the case. Not all cases can be appealed from every court, although any lawyer can apply to a court to determine that the rule prohibiting appeal is valid, which can be considered a form of appeal. Any court has the inherent right to accept or refuse any case if there is good reason to do so. In most cases, there is a right to file an appeal. If the appellant pays the fees and gets the paperwork done correctly, the court will usually take the appeal. Remember, you can only appeal issues of law, not fact. A lot of pro se parties (people without a lawyer) don't have a clue and their cases routinely get tossed. Many courts of appeal do not have to schedule oral arguments and decide appeals based on the briefs filed. There is no right to a "hearing": in that sense. The latter appears to be what was decided in the reported case. You don't get to retry a case on appeal.

Answer 3

The vast majority of courts in the UK are open to the public, the main exceptions being Youth Courts and Family Courts. The Criminal Court of Appeal is most certainly open to any member of the public who cares to attend. I have often dropped by as a member of the public. I once worked for the Criminal Appeals Office.

Answer 4

Any trial of a case is available to the public for viewing. Thus, a case in the Criminal Court of Appeals can be for public viewing.

Answer 5

I was under the impression that appeals are conducted with just the legal team present. (I may be thinking of the right to appeal,) take a look at this web site it may have some information orlinks on it http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/

Answer 6

There is no UK Court of Appeal, as there is no UK justice system.

Which part of the UK?