Our criminal lawyers in Manchester can assist natural persons involved in areas of law that are covered by the criminal regulations. Criminal law can cover numerous areas of expertise, such as evasion, domestic abuse, murder, manslaughter, terrorism, drug offences, kidnapping, cyber-crime, people trafficking, firearms and numerous others. Our team can represent you.
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What are the main areas of expertise of our criminal lawyers in Manchester?
Our lawyers are specialized in many branches of law that are regulated under the criminal law framework. Our clients can address our team for any legal issue that can fall under these regulations and further on, our team can present the ways in which legal representation can be offered.
Criminal law firms in Manchester are generally specialized in providing legal representation for certain categories of criminal law branches, and this is generally given by the specialization/interest of the team of lawyers employed in a certain law firm. The legal services of our law firm cover legal branches such as:
- business crime;
- fraud;
- corporate fraud and other criminal offences that can derive from corporate matters;
- motoring offences;
- sexual offences and other accusations related to the integrity/safety of a person;
- legal aid.
Criminal law firms in Manchester can also assist clients who have been accused of murder or who were involved in drug related offences. You can rely on our criminal lawyers in Manchester if you were accused of theft or robbery or if you were the victim of burglars.
Our Manchester solicitors are also able to help persons involved robbery cases, sexual offences, money laundering accusations and numerous others, as criminal law can refer to multiple types of offences.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Immediate rights granted to a person accused of a crime | The individual has the right of addressing criminal solicitors in Manchester (by calling the lawyer). |
|
Police interview |
After the individual is brought to the police station and sent to temporary arrest, he or she must participate in a police interview. The lawyer must also be present, especially if the nature of crime is very serious (murder, robbery, terrorism, etc). |
|
Availability of criminal lawyers |
Given the complex nature of criminal cases, our criminal solicitors in Manchester can be contacted at any moment of the day. |
| Services granted by our criminal lawyers | Immediate legal counselling during the police arrest, advice on the most suitable legal option based on the coordinates of the case, legal representation in front of the British courts, assistance in appeals, etc. |
| Types of individuals our criminal lawyers can represent |
Persons who live in the UK (citizens, permanent and temporary residents), as well as foreigners involved in a criminal cases occuring on the British territory. |
| What can happen after an individual is brought to a police station? |
The police can decide to send the individual to jail or put him or her on bail, which means that the person can enjoy his or her freedom until the first hearing of the case. |
| Is it necessary to pay for bail in the UK? |
No, the bail system in the UK does not require the payment of a sum of money in order to be released from custody. |
| Bail rules in the UK |
Bail can be granted in certain circumstances by the police or by the court. Although the person will be released from custody, certain conditions can be imposed, such as: not entering into contact with certain persons involved in the case, living at a specific location, not leaving the area/country, etc. |
| Legal aid for criminal cases (yes/no) |
Yes |
| How legal aid is established | Based on the age of the individual, his or her income, the situation of the person’s household and the overall costs of living |
| Automatic legal aid |
It can be granted to individuals with an age below 18 years old or to those who receive state-funded income. |
| Law regulating criminal cases |
Criminal Law Act 1977 |
| Courts in charge with hearing criminal cases |
The Magistrates’ Court and the Crown Court |
| Parties involved in a criminal case |
The police, the competent courts, the representatives of the Crown Prosecution Service, our criminal solicitors in Manchester. |
| Appeals | Defendants have the right to appeal the case in the Crown Court or the Court of Appeal. |
Our team can also provide legal representation to those involved in business crimes or those known as white-collar crimes. Manchester law firms offer top quality services, delivered by specialized attorneys, therefore you can rely on us in any of the above-mentioned situations.
What is the law regulating criminal cases?
Criminal cases fall under the regulations of the Criminal Law Act 1977. The legislation is enabled by the competent authorities in accordance with the provisions of statutory procedures. For instance, British courts must abide by the rules of the Criminal Procedures Rules. They are applied in the following courts:
- Magistrates’ courts;
- The Crown Court;
- The Court of Appeal;
- The High Court.
What are your basic rights when accused of a crime in Manchester?
Persons who have been accused of a crime that falls under the regulations of the criminal law in the UK benefit of a set of rights. Regardless if the person is accused based on solid legal grounds or the person is falsely accused, any person has the right to be legally represented by criminal solicitors in Manchester.
The person’s perspective on the case has to be heard and all the documents or other pieces of evidence must be analyzed in order to verify the validity of an accusation or its invalidity.
Thus, at the moment when a person is arrested by the police and charged with a crime, the person has a right to call a lawyer. This is why our criminal solicitors in Manchester can provide legal support at any hour of the day, regardless if it is during the week, the weekend or holiday.
It is also important to know that our lawyer in Manchester can provide legal representation not only in Manchester, but anywhere in the UK. Furthermore, at the moment when the person is arrested and sent in temporary arrest at a police station in Manchester, you can address our lawyers to participate in the police interview.
Given the fact that the UK has a population that is comprised of persons who arrived here from almost all the world’s countries, it is also necessary to know that our team can represent foreigners, but also persons who do not speak English, as this can be the case.
Our criminal solicitors in Manchester remain at your disposal in the case in which you just worry about a particular legal situation, but also when you have actually been accused of one of the above mentioned types of crimes. Please be aware that the police has the right to arrest you in case it has reasonable grounds to do so.
Bail period
In this case, you can either be charged, which means that you will be jailed, or you can be put on bail in the case in which you were only arrested and not charged for a crime. In the latter situation, the initial bail period is 28 days, and it can be prolonged to 3-6 months after this initial period, but only in complex situations.
Being charged for a crime means that, from a legal point of view, the case has to be heard in front of a court. Our team of criminal solicitors in Manchester can present the rights one has in each of these two basic situations that can occur once a person is arrested.
We invite you to watch a short presentation on the services of our criminal solicitors in Manchester:
What is the legal procedure when an individual is accused of a criminal crime?
In the beginning of this article, our Manchester solicitors have presented some of the key elements that must take place when an individual is accused of a criminal case. The information referred to police procedures and immediate legal representation.
However, another crucial element of the overall system is the participation of the competent court. Depending on the nature of the case, the court will issue a paper known as summons or requisition, which is a legal document through which the party is informed about the next steps.
In some cases, the individual (known as defendant – the person accused of the crime), needs to arrive in person in front of the court, in others he or she may need to fill in some documentation which must be then send to the court – this happens when the police or the prosecutors decide to arrest the individual or put him/her under trial.
In criminal cases, the legal system requires the participation of a prosecutor, who represents the state and who initiates the legal proceedings against the defendant. The hearing of the case starts, in the majority of situations, in the Magistrates’ courts.
How can a person apply for legal aid in Manchester?
Legal aid refers to the financial assistance that can be obtained by clients who need the services of our lawyer in Manchester. In certain cases, a person must obtain legal representation not only in criminal cases, but also in other legal issues, but it can often happen that the person does not dispose of the necessary budget for paying for the services of the lawyers and other fees charged by the legal system.
Therefore, the law in the UK states that individuals can apply for legal aid, which is a financial assistance that is granted by the British institutions. However, a person can benefit from legal aid only if certain conditions are met. Please mind that legal aid is a service that one can obtain after meeting with a lawyer and establishing that the person actually requires to be represented in front of the court.
Thus, it is worth knowing that if a person is brough to a police station, the meeting with a lawyer is free of charge, as all persons benefit from an initial free legal advice in the respective circumstance. Once it has been established that the person requires legal representation, lawyers’ fees will apply, as well as court fees, depending on the court where the case will be heard.
The right to obtain legal aid will be established based on certain parameters – such as the age and the financial situation of the person, as well as the court where the case will be addressed.
Income thresholds determining the right to legal aid in the UK
Therefore, it must be noted that if a person is accused of a criminal offence and the age of the person is below 18 years old, then it will not be necessary to apply for legal aid, as the person will directly benefit from the right to free legal representation. For cases that will be heard in the Magistrate Court, legal aid can be granted in the following situations:
- the annual income of the household where the person lives is below GBP 12,475;
- if the annual income of the household is above GBP 22,325, legal aid can’t be granted;
- for an annual household income between GBP 12,475 to GBP 22,325, the person can benefit from legal aid after analyzing the disposable income of the household;
- where the disposable income of the household is below GBP 3,398 per year, the person will receive legal aid.
Our Manchester solicitors can help you establish if you can obtain legal aid. Please mind that for other courts, other conditions apply regarding the annual income. Our criminal lawyers in Manchester can help you with in-depth information on this matter.
Appeal a court’s decision
Defendants have the right to appeal against a decision taken by the court. Rulings taken in Magistrates’ courts can be appealed in the Crown Court. Decisions taken by the judges of the latter court can be appealed to the Court of Appeal. The latter can even decide a retrial of the case.
Criminal justice statistics in the UK
The statistics on the legal cases that are judged by the criminal justice system are held by the Ministry of Justice.
The latest information show that the number of criminal offences has slightly decreased in the last years, and this is applied to the overall number of persons who were dealing with the criminal justice law, but also on number of individuals who were prosecuted under the regulations of the criminal justice. Currently, the UK criminal justice system is represented by the following:
- according to the data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), on a year-to-year basis (September 2023 – September 2024), there were a total of 9.5 million incidents pertaining to the criminal law (robbery, theft, fraud, criminal damage, violence, etc.);
- compared to the previous period, this accounted for an increase of 12%, due to more fraud-related cases (an increase of 19%);
- in September 2023- September 2024, the highest increase of crime-related cases was registered in the case of fraud, representing a total of 3,858,000 (up by 19%) incidents and violence-related cases (1,140,000 cases, up to 27% from the previous period);
- decreased were observed in the case of criminal damage cases (629,000 incidents, down by 7%) and homicides (550 offences, down by 4%).
Our lawyer in Manchester remains at your disposal in the case you need urgent legal assistance and legal advice.
Other legal services
If you are interested in legal representation or legal advice on other matters, you can always address our lawyers, who have an in-depth experience in many areas of law. For instance, our immigration lawyers in Manchester can offer legal representation in any immigration matter – obtaining visas, residence permits, applying for citizenship, relocating with your family members, relocating for work.
The UK is one of the European countries with one of the largest immigration demands. For instance, the population that has a non-UK ethnic background accounts for approximately 10 million persons, as revealed by recent data, measured in 2022. Most of the foreigners arrive here for employment opportunities and if you are interested in this, please get in touch with our employment lawyers in Manchester.
Many foreigners arrive here not only for employment opportunities, but also to experience a better quality of life for themselves or their family and children. Our solicitors in Manchester city centre can help you with advice regarding how to enroll a child in the British public school system and how to apply for visas for your family members who want to reunite with you in the UK.
Please address our criminal solicitors in Manchester for more information
