78.Under section 29 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (c.25) (“the CPIA”) a judge has power to order a preparatory hearing in cases of such seriousness or complexity that substantial benefits are likely to accrue from such a hearing. A similar power to order preparatory hearings in cases of serious or complex fraud is in section 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987. The purpose of a preparatory hearing is to identify the material issues, assist the jury’s comprehension of those issues, expedite the proceedings before a jury, deal with questions of severance and joinder, and otherwise assist the trial judge’s management of the case. Section 16 amends the CPIA to make preparatory hearings mandatory in terrorism cases.
Commentary Definitions Section 16 – Preparatory hearings in terrorism cases