What you can appeal

You can appeal to the magistrates’ court against your:

  • sentence, if you pleaded guilty
  • conviction and sentence, if you pleaded not guilty

You should talk to your legal representative (if you have one) or get help from a legal adviser before you appeal.

Ask the court to reconsider a decision

If you think the decision was wrong, you can ask the court to reconsider a sentence or conviction. For example, if there was a serious mistake or the court did not follow the right steps.

If you disagree with the decision but there has been no mistake you will normally need to appeal to the Crown Court.

If you did not know about your court case

If you did not know about your case before a decision was made, you can make a statutory declaration to a magistrates’ court to reopen your case.

Change the amount you’ve been fined

You can ask the court to change the amount you’ve been fined if:

  • your financial circumstances have changed
  • the court did not know your income at the time of your conviction