Warrant for me

[kerry1989]

Im panicking now. Was meant to be at a recent court case for a Driving offence. Well i ended up with Gastrointeritis so I phoned to let them know

Today I had a letter for a warrant for my arrest.

If I go to the police station will they keep me in or will they arrange another court date? As I did contact the courts and told them I would not be able to attend

@Soontobe60

The police station!

No I meant I had phoned them

I think @ConfusedAdultFemale is asking whether you’ve missed any court dates previously.

Well, if they’ve told you it’s in your best interest to report asap I would do just that. It’s not going to look good if you’ve been told to do that and then wait 48 hours to do it.

No I havent missed any dates previously

I do know it is best to go ASAP and not intending to wait 48 hours to do so. The likelihood though is if I go just now, tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon I would be held til Monday Morning anyway for a court appearance

The notice should tell you whether it's backed for bail.
If it's not backed for bail, the police have to present you to the next court which is Monday.
If it's backed for bail, you'll just be given a new court date to attend.
(in England and Wales)

And no one will care whether you phoned today but didn't turn up until Monday morning, it's not like a school report.

Sorry there was another poster who had a court date this Monday they missed due to the trains, I thought you were they!

It is not backed for bail

Not in England or Wales either as I am in the north of Scotland

Phone back and ask whens the best time to go in. Our cut off times are the early hours of morning so people normally get told to go in for midnight then they'll get processed and go in the court bus in the morning. That way you're keeping your custody time to a minimum

DO NOT turn up at 0630 expecting to go that morning unless you know for sure that'll happen or depending on the procedures you could end up in custody for over 24 hours

@Kinneddar

Phone back and ask whens the best time to go in. Our cut off times are the early hours of morning so people normally get told to go in for midnight then they'll get processed and go in the court bus in the morning. That way you're keeping your custody time to a minimum

DO NOT turn up at 0630 expecting to go that morning unless you know for sure that'll happen or depending on the procedures you could end up in custody for over 24 hours

I was told the very latest deadline is 10pm tomorrow night to enable transport arrangements or could be detained for a further 24 hours

@Kinneddar

Phone back and ask whens the best time to go in. Our cut off times are the early hours of morning so people normally get told to go in for midnight then they'll get processed and go in the court bus in the morning. That way you're keeping your custody time to a minimum

DO NOT turn up at 0630 expecting to go that morning unless you know for sure that'll happen or depending on the procedures you could end up in custody for over 24 hours

My hubby thinks though it will look better if I just go tonight though

Look better to whom? I assure you the court won't care, however maybe you'd do better to take formal legal advice on this.

@SoddingWeddings

Look better to whom? I assure you the court won't care, however maybe you'd do better to take formal legal advice on this.

For me I guess

Hadnt been intending to take any legal advice as know I was 100% guilty and no case to answer

The court will probably look more favourably on you presenting yourself to the police station (as you intend to) rather than waiting for the police to come and pick you up, but I doubt they’ll care whether that’s on Saturday or Sunday. However I would recommend legal advice in general - being guilty doesn’t mean you don’t deserve representation. A good advocate can still make a case (early guilty plea, remorseful etc) and can give you a realistic expectation of likely sentence as well as advising on what to do about this added complication of having missed a hearing.

Speak to a solicitor, there are ones available, a friend handed themselves in and was kept all weekend, had they got a solicitor they could have potentially been bailed, but family member phoned after they had handed themselves in, so no bail. Google solicitors in your area most have someone on call.

There's nothing to be gained by going tonight. Go in for 10pm on Sunday if that's the time they suggested. Honestly going in today is madness. It won't make a blind bit of difference to the outcome at court, and it'll be a very grim 36 hours for you.

Go in tomorrow teatime. They’ll keep you overnight and produce you for court on Monday. Take some decent clothes to put on. Apologise profusely for missing the court date and explain that you had phoned the court but the message must not have been passed on. Be deferential and grovel.

If you’re lucky there will be no separate penalty for failing to attend. I would expect to be banned if you were doing over 100 although with a decent solicitor who can offer decent mitigation (if there is any) and suitable special circumstances why you should not be banned (if there are any), you might get away with points on your licence.

I would definitely ask to speak to the duty solicitor in your position.

They'll probably thank you for not going in on a Saturday night to be fair, if they have to find a cell for you! Handing yourself in at all will 'look good', doesn't have to be immediately. FWIW I have known offenders wanted on a warrant for violent offences that haven't been picked up for months so they're v unlikely to come breaking your door down!

How did it go OP?