Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Abolish the 6-month statutory time limit for prosecuting summary-only offences
Closed
58 signatures
What the petition asks
The Government should introduce legislation to amend the Magistrates Court Act 1980 in such a way that it removes the 6 month limit for prosecutions of offences classed as summary-only and which are triable only in the Magistrates Court.
The Magistrates Court Act is now over 40 years old. Evidential requirements on police have changed significantly in that time, as have CPS procedures for bringing prosecutions.The time limit applies to offences like drink-driving, harassment and common assault. There are numerous cases of offenders (including domestic abuse perpetrators) escaping justice for no other reason than the police and CPS are unable to bring a case before a court within 6 months. This law needs urgently updating.
Timeline
| 17 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 17 Oct 2020 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
58
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
17 Apr 2020
Closed
17 Oct 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.