Get a fine or payment terms reviewed

You might be able to ask for your fine or the payment terms to be reviewed if any of the following apply: you cannot afford the regular payments you cannot pay within the timeframe you’ve been given you earn less than £440 a week and the court did not know this when it gave you the fine How to ask for a review Contact the court or enforcement centre on your notice to ask for a review. You’ll need to include evidence of your income, such as wage slips or benefit statements. You can download and fill in a MC100 form (also called a ‘statement of assets’) to send with your request. If your income has changed since you were sentenced, you need to also provide evidence of your income on the date you were sentenced. You may need to attend court for another hearing. They’ll let you know when the hearing will take place. You can talk to your legal representative (if you have one) or get help from a legal adviser .

If someone has falsely given your details to the police or courts

You might be able to ask the court to reopen your case if you think someone else committed the crime. For example, your name could have been given in relation to a traffic offence that you did not commit. Contact the Action Fraud team on 0300 123 2040, or the local Police on 101, to report that you did not commit the crime. They will give you a crime reference number. Contact the court or enforcement centre on your notice and give the crime reference number. The court will decide whether to reopen the case or contact you if you need to take any further action.

If you did not know about your case

You could ask for your case to be reopened if you did not know about it, so you were not able to plead either guilty or not guilty. You’ll need to make a legal statement known as a ‘statutory declaration’ to reopen your case. You usually need to do this within 21 days of finding out about the proceedings. How to make a legal statement Download a statutory declaration form (called an ‘ignorance of proceedings form’) or ask for a copy at your local magistrates’ court . Fill out the form telling the court when and how you heard about your court case. You’ll need to provide details of where and when your hearing was held. Arrange an appointment to make your statutory declaration. This could be before any magistrates’ court or a legal representative such as a solicitor. Making a statutory declaration before the court is free, you will have to pay to make one before a legal representative. Bring a written plea (or a completed single justice procedure notice if you have one) to your appointment, along with your statutory declaration. Sign and date your statutory declaration form when you’re at your appointment. After you’ve made a legal statement If the court accepts your statutory declaration they will reopen your case. You can still be guilty of the offence, even if you did not know about your case. If your case is reopened and you’re found guilty, your sentence or fine (or both) might be increased. If you’re found not guilty then all charges against you will be dropped.

Appeal a magistrates’ court decision

Q: If the court did not have all the information about your case

You can ask the court to reopen your case if: you (or your legal adviser) did not have the opportunity to write or speak to the court about your case the court did not receive documents to support your case Contact the court or enforcement centre named on your notice to ask to reopen your case. You can talk to your legal representative (if you have one) or get help from a legal adviser before you ask to reopen your case. The court will decide whether they will reopen your case. If your case is reopened and you’re found guilty then your sentence or fine (or both) might be increased. If you’re found not guilty then all charges against you will be dropped.

Overview

If you’re unhappy with a decision made by a magistrates’ court, you can challenge it or ask for it to be reviewed.

You can talk to your legal representative (if you have one) or get help from a legal adviser before challenging a magistrates’ court decision.

Get your fine reviewed

You can get your fine or payment terms reviewed if you’re struggling to pay the fine you’ve been given.

Ask the court to reopen your case

You can ask the court to reopen the case:

if you think someone has falsely given your details to the police or courts in relation to an offence
if you did not know about your case
if the court did not have all the information about your case

Appeal to the Crown Court

If you were able to plead guilty or not guilty, but you still disagree with the decision that was made, you can appeal to the Crown Court.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Appeal a magistrates’ court decision

Overview

Get your fine reviewed

Ask the court to reopen your case

Appeal to the Crown Court

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Appeal a magistrates’ court decision

Overview

Get your fine reviewed

Ask the court to reopen your case

Appeal to the Crown Court

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Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK