Section 20: Committal in certain cases where offender committed in respect of another offence, Sentencing Act 2020

This section applies where a magistrates' court (“the committing court”) commits an offender to the Crown Court under—

sections 14 to 19 (committal for sentence for indictable offences),

paragraph 5(4) of Schedule 2 (further offence committed by offender given conditional discharge order),

paragraph 24(2) of Schedule 10 (committal to Crown Court where offender convicted of further offence while community order is in force),

paragraph 11(2) of Schedule 16 (committal to Crown Court where offender commits further offence during operational period of suspended sentence order),

section 43 of the Mental Health Act 1980 (power of magistrates' courts to commit for restriction order), or

section 6(6) or 9(3) of the Bail Act 1976 (committal to Crown Court for offences of absconding by person released on bail or agreeing to indemnify sureties in criminal proceedings), ...

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to be sentenced or otherwise dealt with in respect of an offence (“the relevant offence”).

Where—

the relevant offence is an indictable offence, and

the committing court has power to deal with the offender in respect of another offence,

the committing court may also commit the offender to the Crown Court to be dealt with in respect of the other offence in accordance with section 23.

It is immaterial for the purposes of subsection (2) whether the court which convicted the offender of the other offence was the committing court or another court.

Where the relevant offence is a summary offence, the committing court may commit the offender to the Crown Court to be dealt with, in accordance with section 23, in respect of—

any other offence of which the committing court has convicted the offender which is punishable with—

imprisonment, or

driving disqualification, or

any suspended sentence in respect of which it falls to the committing court to deal with the offender by virtue of paragraph 11(1) of Schedule 16.

For the purposes of subsection (4)(a) an offence is punishable with driving disqualification if the committing court has a power or duty to order the offender to be disqualified under section 34, 35 or 36 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (disqualification for certain motoring offences) in respect of it.

A committal to the Crown Court under this section is to be in custody or on bail as the case may require.

Section 20: Committal in certain cases where offender committed in respect of another offence

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