Justice Process – Preliminary Hearing

The purpose of a preliminary hearing is to see if the Crown has enough evidence to justify sending the case to trial.  It also gives accused and the defence lawyer a chance to hear the details of the case against the accused.

If there is enough evidence presented by the Crown, the judge will send the accused to trial.  If not, the charges will be dropped.

Yes, most often, the victim and other witnesses will have to testify at the preliminary hearing.  If the judge sends the accused to trial, the witnesses will likely have to testify again at the trial.

If you are going to be a witness at a preliminary hearing, you may want to check out the Witness Tips - Before Court section of the site.