The Magistrates' Courts (Notices of Transfer) Rules 1988
These Rules make provision for the procedure to be followed in magistrates' courts where a notice of transfer is given under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987, which comes into force on 31st October 1988 (S.I. 1988/397). Under section 4 of that Act, a prosecutor may give to a magistrates' court a notice of transfer in respect of a case proceeding in that court if the offence charged is an indictable offence and reveals a case of serious and complex fraud. The effect of a notice of transfer is to avoid committal proceedings in such cases, but the magistrates' court to which a notice of transfer is given under section 4 retains certain functions, set out in section 5, in respect of the grant or withholding of bail, legal aid and the making of witness orders pending the Crown Court trial.