Can the defendant appeal against the verdict?
An offender can appeal against the sentence or conviction or both. If the defendant is convicted in the magistrates’ court and appeals against the conviction, the whole trial will be heard again in front of a judge and two magistrates. You may have to give your evidence again. If it is only the sentence that is in dispute, a Crown Court judge will consider the appeal and decide whether to change the sentence or keep it the same. If the defendant appeals against a Crown Court conviction, the appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal who will either quash the conviction which means it is no longer valid, order a retrial, which means the case has to be heard again, or leave the conviction as it is.
