What sort of cases appear in the District Court?

In addition to criminal offences such as serious assaults, breaking and entering, and stealing and receiving, the court also handles the restoration of driving licences and applications to have convictions spent.The majority of civil matters relate to personal injury claims due to motor vehicle accidents and workers' compensation cases.

How many criminal cases are there each year?

In 2007, 2,321 defendants were committed to the District Court.

How many cases does the court finalise in a year?

In 2007 the District Court finalised 6,349 matters. Of these 2,796 were criminal matters and 3,553 were civil cases.

What are Fast Track Pleas?

A defendant who chooses to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity has their name added to the Fast Track Pleas List. This means they will appear in the District Court within approximately six weeks of being indicted and receive a discount on their sentence.Fast Track Pleas are heard by a judge, and are usually listed for Tuesday and Friday mornings in the Central Law Courts.The introduction of the Fast Track process has been successful in speeding up the process of dealing with some matters and reduces the time and costs associated with trials.