Can you find out why someone is in court?

[Ohnonononononono]

Hi, I've just found out that an old friend I've had not seen for a bit had a bail hearing at our local crown court earlier this month, and a case hearing which started last week. I haven't been told what it's for (and the person who told me won't elaborate) and the court listings I've found online show a case number and his name plus courtroom details/updates like 'hearing finished' but no actual detail about charges. Would the court be able to tell me why he's there if I phoned them? Thanks.

Our weekly local paper details court listings, not sure if you can find out from the court direct

Thanks for the suggestion! Our local paper doesn't seem to do anything like that, I've also had a look at the local police force's "in the dock" page but they seem to have stopped updating it in favour of fb and twitter (which also don't mention anything).

Update: I called the court today, and gave them his name and the case number; they confirmed the charges, whether bail was granted, his plea, and the dates it is due to go to trial later this year, as well as the date he's booked before that for an application to dismiss it.

I had no idea they'd be so helpful!

My friend is clearly a knob, going by the charges, and is now deleted from my Xmas card list.

You can google and get through to court records too