A citation to attend court is a formal document used to serve a legal document. It generally informs the person who is cited to appear in the sheriff court or high court. This will usually be the accused (the individual(s) alleged to have committed a crime) or are a witness to a crime.
If you have received a citation to appear in court as a witness, it will have come from either the procurator fiscal or the accused’s defence solicitor. (Citations are also used in civil cases). If you’ve been called as a witness, you’ll usually be required to appear in court on a specific date and time to testify during a trial. You must appear, and if you are unable to do so, please notify the person who cited you, either the procurator fiscal or the defence solicitors.
What should you do if you receive a court citation?
If you have been accused of committing a crime and are therefore cited to court, this will normally be personally delivered by a police officer, collected from a police station or delivered by post.
At the first hearing (Pleading Diet), you will be asked whether you plead guilty or not guilty.
Our defence lawyers represent accused people on a regular basis. An appointment can be scheduled at one of our locations, or an arrangement can be made to meet with an accused individual in court on the day of the Pleading Diet. The intervention of a Solicitor at an early stage can frequently lead to conversations with the Procurator Fiscal about the charges.
Often, the charges can be settled, and the Procurator Fiscal may determine that no further action is required, which means you won’t have to go to court.
Attending Court
If you have a job or holiday obligation, childcare issues or illness, one of our solicitors will almost certainly be able to represent you at the Pleading Diet without you having to go to court.
When the subject comes before the court for the first time, there are three choices:
Consider pleading not guilty, guilty, or letting the matter go without a plea for further investigation if you have received a citation to attend.
Normally, if you want to plead not guilty or have the case extended for further investigation, you will not have to appear in person. One of our solicitors is available to attend.
If you plan to plead guilty, you will most likely be obliged to appear in court. Minor criminal charges can easily be settled by having a defence lawyer appear in court and plead guilty in the client’s absence.
Contact our Criminal Solicitors in Glasgow
Call us on 0141 471 9088 to discuss your court case in confidence. We understand that being accused of a crime can be a difficult and stressful time. We provide effective legal representation should be required to appear in the Scottish courts. We have successfully defended many clients who have been accused of crimes. Our criminal defence solicitors work diligently and tirelessly to build a strong defence tailored to your specific case.
