211.As noted above in relation to trials before a judge and jury, the common law governs the verdicts that are available to a judge sitting in summary proceedings without a jury, those verdicts being the same – guilty, not guilty and not proven.
212.This section changes that and does so by inserting new section 161A into the 1995 Act. That new section provides that the only verdicts available to a judge in summary proceedings are guilty or not guilty. A verdict of not proven will no longer be possible.
Crown Application Summary proceedings Section 66 – verdict of guilty or not guilty