Types of Criminal Offence In Ireland-Summary, Indictable and Hybrid | BusinessAndLegal.ie

(This is part of the criminal law in Ireland series of articles about how criminal offences are prosecuted in Ireland)

Summary offences

Summary offences are dealt with by the summary procedure in the District Court and are minor offences.

What are minor offences?

Minor offences are not defined in the Constitution or in the statute books but generally minor offences are offences which attract a penalty of 12 months imprisonment or less and a fine of £100 (€127) or less.

When summary offences are dealt with in the District Court there is not jury present so the sitting Judge decides the case on his/her own.

Generally the procedures leading up to the prosecution of a summary offence are relatively fast and informal although the case of DPP v Gary Doyle in 1994 has led to a procedure where the prosecution are obliged to let the defendant have the statements and other evidence that the prosecution will be relying on in the case.

via businessandlegal.ie