Appeal against sentence

If you have been received a penalty or sentence for a motoring offence that you feel is unjust or unfair, you may wish to exercise your right to lodge an appeal against your sentence at a higher Court. At Stephensons our motoring offence solicitors can help, for a free initial appointment with a specialist motoring offence solicitor please click the link to complete our online request form or call 0845 00 20736 for free initial advice 24/7.

There is a strict 21 day time limit within which to lodge an appeal and it is essential that this time limit is adhered to. If you find that the 21 day deadline has expired you are still able to lodge an appeal providing you can first obtain permission (leave) to make your application out of time.

It is worth instructing a specialist motoring solicitor to deal with an appeal as the procedure can be more complex than that at the Magistrates Court. Furthermore, there is more formality and the Prosecution are likely to be represented by specialist Higher Court advocates. If you were to lose your appeal the Prosecution would be entitled to ask you to bear their costs – which will be significantly higher than those imposed at the Magistrates Court. If you represented yourself at the lower Court, or you were not satisfied by the representation that you received, it is worth instructing a motoring law expert to prepare your appeal in order to maximise your prospects of succeeding. If your sentence was reduced, and won your appeal, you would be entitled to recover reasonable costs in preparing your appeal (i.e your legal fees).

At Stephensons we can usually advise over the telephone as to whether the sentence that you received is excessive or whether it is fair. We are also able to provide a written opinion of the merits and likely success of an appeal for a fixed fee. We are also able to work to stringent deadlines, which is particularly important in view of the deadlines applicable to lodging an appeal.

If you are considering whether or not to appeal against your sentence please feel free to contact one of our specialist motoring solicitors for a free no obligation chat. We have extensive experience of representing people on appeal and would welcome the opportunity of discussing your case with you.