Guidance

Where to add case materials

Updated 21 October 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Use this guide to work out which sections of Common Platform to add each type of case material. See the guidance on how to serve documents and add case material in Common Platform.

In the magistrates’ court, you must add case materials to the correct section, as set out in this guide. This will allow only the intended parties to have access to them.

You should use standard criminal procedure rules forms for uploading case material. This makes sure that all relevant information is captured and it is in a standard format.

In the Crown court, you must continue to add case materials to the Digital Case System (DCS).

1. Charges

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Charge sheet (MG4)
  • Notice of criminal charge (MG4D)
  • Statement of service (MG4E)
  • Further and amended charges
  • Certificate of service
  • Breach of bail conditions form (MG08)
  • Postal requisitions
  • Certificate under section 6

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

2. Case summary

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Case summary (MG5)
  • Drafts

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

3. Key witness statements

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Key witness statements
  • Streamline disclosure form (SDF)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

4. Witness statements

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Victim personal statement
  • Character statements for trial
  • Full service of prosecution case
  • Section 9 statements – including S9 notices for notices of additional evidence (NAEs)
  • Defence bundle
  • Traffic collision witness questionnaire
  • Evidence and actions book (EAB)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

5. Key exhibits

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Key exhibits and service for plea and trial preparation hearing (PTPH) form
  • Notices of additional evidence (NAEs) for exhibits
  • Additional exhibits
  • Manual guidance drink driving form A – breath (MGDDA)
  • Manual guidance drink driving form B – blood or urine (MGDDB)
  • Manual guidance drink driving form E – drugs (MGDDE)
  • Exhibit list (MG12)
  • Drink driving form – hospital procedure (MGDDC)
  • Pocket notebook (PNB)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

6. Exhibits

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Full service of prosecution case
  • Notice of intended prosecution (NIP)
  • Road safety report

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service

7. Transcript of achieving best evidence (ABE) interviews

Case materials to be uploaded

  • ABE transcripts, including clearly labelled edited transcripts

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

8. Streamlined forensic reports

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Streamlined forensic reports 1 and 2
  • Analytical data pack

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

9. Expert reports

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Reports for trial, including defence intermediary reports
  • Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) report

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

10. Unused material

Only HM Courts and Tribunal Service can upload to this section.

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Disclosure of unused material
  • Lists, schedules and letters about disclosure of unused material
  • Streamlined disclosure certificate (SDC)
  • Disclosure management document (DMD)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service

11. Defence statement

Only the defence can upload to this section.

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Defence case statements

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

12. Previous convictions (pre-cons)

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Previous convictions and further versions of previous convictions
  • Police national computer (PNC) print documents

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

13. Initial details of the prosecution case (IDPC) bundle

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Initial details of the prosecution case (IDPC) bundle
  • Immigration and Asylum Tribunal anonymity application (IAT1)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

14. Magistrates’ court evidence bundle

You cannot upload any case materials to this section.

Case materials available for hearing from the initial details of the prosecution case (IDPC)

  • Witness statements
  • Exhibits
  • Record of interview (MG15)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

15. Plea

Used in Crown court and magistrates’ court.

Case materials to be uploaded

  • All versions of basis of plea and prosecution responses
  • Written or online plea
  • Change of plea

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service

16. Bail and custody

Used in Crown court and magistrates’ court.

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Bail assessment reports (from probation or bail support services)
  • Security information
  • Surety information
  • Prison record of refusal to attend
  • Liaison and diversion reports
  • Re-bail notice
  • Manual maps relating to tagging orders (if on bail)

(Do not add local authority notes of bail application)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

17. Case management

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Plea and trial preparation hearing (PTPH) form (Crown Court)
  • Preparation for an effective trial (PET) form (Magistrates Court)
  • Better case management (BCM) form
  • Case management orders – made in open court or administratively
  • Certificates of readiness
  • Written directions
  • Ineffective trial forms
  • Ground rules hearing forms
  • Ground rules orders
  • Standard witness tables
  • Draft questions for the parties, where ordered
  • Draft orders submitted by parties
  • Running order of prosecution evidence to be presented at trial
  • Review of proposed questions for a party
  • Report of actions (chronology of police actions as directed by a judge)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

18. Applications

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Custody time limit (CTL) including all applications relating to bail and custody
  • Special measures
  • Hearsay
  • Application to introduce evidence of bad character form
  • Evidence of defendant’s bad character or dangerous offences form (MG16)
  • Extensions to time
  • Skeleton arguments
  • Applications to transfer or extend legal aid
  • Discontinuance
  • Legal Aid Agency (LAA) orders
  • Bail appeals
  • Objection to non-defendant bad character application
  • Abuse of process bundle
  • Application for knife crime prevention order (on conviction)
  • Res gestae (refer to provision 118 section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003)
  • Detention log form (PW05)

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

19. General correspondence

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Court and tribunal service centre (CTSC) Antenna document
  • Telephone messages, emails and letters (only general correspondence for both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and defence)
  • Drink drive completion certificates and non-completion certificates
  • Contested initial details of the prosecution case (IDPC) Letter
  • Conditional caution (MG14)
  • Death – coroner
  • Death certificate – doctor

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

20. Order, notice and directions

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Orders restraining publicity
  • Any orders or notices generated from a decision relating to further hearings or sentencing
  • Manually created notices, orders or warrants – for example bail conditions and remand orders

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

21. Trial documents

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Opening speech
  • S10 admissions
  • Any official transcript of a judicial ruling
  • Schedules
  • Notice of alibi

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

22. Jury material

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Jury notes – do not include sensitive personal information
  • Written assistance on the evidence
  • Jury bundle

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service

23. Sentence

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Any document prepared for the sentencing hearing to be considered by the court at sentence, including applications for ancillary orders on sentence
  • Pre-sentence report (PSR)
  • Nil report for PSR
  • Sentencing remarks
  • References
  • Psychiatric reports in relation to sentence
  • Means form (MC100)
  • Taken into considerations tables (TICs)
  • Driver validation service (DVS) printout
  • Draft criminal behaviour order
  • Maps relating to sentencing tagging orders
  • Youth offending team consultation (views on proposed criminal behaviour order (CBO))
  • Community impact statement
  • Written rulings

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

24. Court final orders

You cannot upload any case materials to this section.

Case materials available after hearing

Once the outcome of a hearing has been shared, this section will include any system-generated notices, orders and warrants.

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary
  • Police administration
  • Victims and witnesses’ administration
  • Probation service
  • Youth offending team

25. Representation

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Legal Aid Agency orders

Who can access the section

  • Defence
  • HM Courts and Tribunal Service
  • Magistrates’ court judiciary

26. Private section – defence

Case materials to be uploaded

  • Defence specific documents

Who can access the section

  • Defence