'for Mention (All Parties To Attend)

[CoffeeLounge]

For Mention (All Parties to Attend)

Could someone please explain to me what this means in terms of a Crown Court Case.
And also would the defendant actually have to be in the court or just his/her solicitor.

Thank You in advance
Coffee

[Buenchico]

The hearing provides an opportunity for the defendant to plead guilty; if he does so, sentence can be passed immediately (although, in many cases, sentencing would be adjourned for the preparation of reports).

If the defendant does not plead guilty, a date is set for a trial. (In practice, an exact date might not be given as [a] the lawyers on either side might require more time to prepare and [b] cases are often only added to the 'warned list' which specifies a range of dates when the trial might start at very short notice).

If 'all parties' is specified then the defendant must be present. (If he pleads guilty he needs to be there for sentencing; if he doesn't, the court might wish to consider varying his bail conditions or even [in extraordinary conditions] refusing further bail).

Chris

[CoffeeLounge]

Thank you for the very informative answer.

Going by the website details the case was before the court for 7 mins and details 'Hearing Finished'
The defendant is already in custody (ie all inclusive at a HMP). So I a presuming he has been refused bail. Not sure which way he would have pleaded.
Thanks once again.

[Barmaid]

Chris - a "mention" can be anything to do with the running of the case. Ie to review if certain evidential issues have been resolved or to review the progress of other matters (for instance, if a crucial witness is abroad or suffering ill health an update may be essential). In more complicated cases, it is routinely used to ensure that the trial timetable is on course. So it is not necessarily a PCMH (Plea and case management hearing).

[Barmaid]

And yes, the Defendant would have had to be produced.