Criminal Appeal Act 1968

Procedure from notice of appeal to hearing

18 Initiating procedure

(1) A person who wishes to appeal under this Part of this Act to the Court of Appeal, or to obtain the leave of that court to appeal, shall give notice of appeal or, as the case may be, notice of application for leave to appeal, in such manner as may be directed by rules of court.

(2) Notice of appeal, or of application for leave to appeal, shall be given within twenty-eight days from the date of the conviction, verdict or finding appealed against, or in the case of appeal against sentence, from the date on which sentence was passed or, in the case of an order made or treated as made on conviction, from the date of the making of the order.

(3) The time for giving notice under this section may be extended, either before or after it expires, by the Court of Appeal.

19 Bail

The Court of Appeal may, if they think fit, on the application of an appellant, admit him to bail pending the determination of his appeal.

20 Disposal of groundless appeal

If it appears to the registrar of criminal appeals of the Court of Appeal (hereafter referred to as " the registrar ") that a notice of an appeal purporting to be on a ground of appeal which involves a question of law alone does not show any substantial ground of appeal, he may refer the appeal to the Court for summary determination; and where the case is so referred the Court may, if they consider that the appeal is frivolous or vexatious, and can be determined without adjourning it for a full hearing, dismiss the appeal summarily, without calling on any one to attend the hearing or to appear for the Crown thereon.

21 Preparation of case for hearing

(1) The registrar shall—

(a) take all necessary steps for obtaining a hearing of any appeal or application of which notice is given to him and which is not referred and dismissed summarily under the foregoing section ; and

(b) obtain and lay before the Court of Appeal in proper form all documents, exhibits and other things which appear necessary for the proper determination of the appeal or application.

(2) Rules of court may enable an appellant to obtain from the registrar any documents or things, including copies or reproductions of documents, required for his appeal and may authorise the registrar to make charges for them in accordance with scales and rates fixed from time to time by the Treasury.