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What is a Postal Requisition?

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If, following a police investigation, a decision is made to prosecute, you will receive what is known as a postal requisition (also known as a postal charge). A postal requisition is a legal document that summons you to court at a specified time and date.

In the following blog, we discuss everything you need to know about postal requisitions, including what you should do if you have received one and the potential consequences of ignoring it.

While we hope this information is useful, please note that it should not be taken as legal advice. If you need detailed advice about your case, please get in touch, and our team can help.

What does charged by postal requisition mean?

If you have been charged by postal requisition, this means that a decision has been made to prosecute you for an offence.

The postal requisition acts as a notice of a criminal charge and provides important information about when you will need to attend court. It will be sent by the police in the case of summary offences and by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the case of either-way or indictable-only offences.

You may receive a postal requisition if you have previously been arrested and released under investigation, attended an interview under caution, or received no prior warning.

What is in a postal requisition?

A postal requisition will typically contain information about the nature of what is alleged and the offence you have allegedly committed. It will not contain any details about the evidence that the prosecution intends to bring against you, but it may be accompanied by additional documents which outline a statement of facts and other important information related to your case.

The postal requisition will include information about the court you will be attending and the exact time and date your hearing will take place.

Consequences of ignoring the summons or missing the summons date

You should pay close attention to the information contained within the postal requisition. Do not ignore the postal requisition, as a warrant for your arrest will likely be issued if you fail to attend court.

What should you do if you have received a postal requisition?

Upon receiving a postal requisition, it is essential that you speak to an expert criminal defence solicitor as soon as possible. Only by working with a specialist in the crime you are accused of committing can you be confident that you will have the strongest defence and have the best chance of achieving a positive outcome when court proceedings begin.

 At JD Spicer Zeb, our criminal defence solicitors have over 45 years of experience in representing individuals accused of a wide range of criminal offences. This experience, coupled with our extensive expertise and collective knowledge, means that we are perfectly positioned to support you if you have received a postal requisition and are due to attend court.

From the moment we are instructed, our team will be able to support you with every aspect of your case, preparing you in advance of your appearance at court and advising you on the best approach to secure a positive outcome.

We are highly skilled at handling and presenting the various types of evidence used during criminal investigations and trials. Our experience ensures that we can identify any flaws in the case presented against you, as well as highlight any contrasting evidence supporting your position.

We are accredited by the Law Society for Criminal Litigation, and our previous experience means that we can clearly demonstrate a strong track record of success, which has led us to establish strong relationships with many of the country’s leading criminal defence barristers.

If you have received a postal requisition, we are here to provide you with the support you need.

Is there a time limit for the police or CPS to charge you by postal requisition?

You must speak to us to check that the police have not made an error by charging you out of time. In most offences that can be tried in magistrates' court, the prosecution is required to charge you within 6 months. Please click here for more information on CPS guidance.

Related matters:

Related cases

Fees and funding

We understand the importance of full transparency when discussing legal fees.

If you are required to attend court after receiving a postal requisition, you may be eligible for Legal Aid. Whether you can access Legal Aid will depend on whether the grant of public funding is justified on a means and interest of justice basis.

Where you do not qualify for Legal Aid, the alternative will be to fund the case on a private basis.       

To find out more about the way we handle fees (both Legal Aid and private fees) please use the links provided below:

Contact our criminal defence lawyers today

If you have received a postal requisition, require any urgent specialist advice, or immediate representation, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

You can contact our dedicated criminal defence lawyers in London, Birmingham, and Manchester by telephone at:

Or email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk

Alternatively, you can fill out our quick online enquiry form, and we will get back to you quickly.

24/7 legal representation

For immediate representation and advice, you can contact our Emergency Number: 07836 577 556, and we will provide prompt, friendly advice.

How can we help?

Common questions

We always work with the most experienced and best leading UK barristers, KCs (Kings Counsel). We cover all criminal cases 24/7 at the police station and court. Offices in London, Birmingham, and Manchester cover cases across England and Wales. We can offer Legal Aid and affordable Private fee agreements. We can see you the same day, including virtually. Our Senior Partners supervise all of our cases.

How quickly do you respond?

We respond quickly even during out of hours. We do not get our work by paying for online adverts but based on the fact that few criminal law firms can match our 45 years of experience. Most of our cases are still from word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied clients. We are called daily by dissatisfied clients from firms with less experience than us. We respond very quickly to new enquiries. We know what clients seek and so we update clients rapidly.

Can you get cases dropped?

Yes, read about the recent cases we've helped our clients with here.

We always keep you updated and give straightforward advice. We will get cases dropped early where the case is weak or should not be prosecuted. We will be upfront with you about where you can benefit from a good result with an early guilty plea, such as a discount on your sentence. As we work on cases across all levels with clients from all walks of life, we are excellent at giving clear, spot-on advice. As an established firm, we can allocate a whole team to your case often at short notice to secure evidence to minimise the damage to you. 

Have you won any awards?

OUR PROFESSIONAL BODY THE LAW SOCIETY AWARDED US IN OCTOBER 2020 WITH THE EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT SERVICE AWARD AND STATED - 

"JD Spicer Zeb demonstrated a clear commitment to client service through their work with vulnerable and diverse individuals in what can be severely traumatic circumstances".

Do you offer free consultations?

Where it is possible, we aim to provide an initial consultation to you. If we can speak to you, we can if required inform you about  –

  • Whether we can take the case on and our relevant experience.
  • Public and private funding benefits.
  • Assistance in applying for legal aid where we are likely to accept instructions.
  • An outline of options in police interview only. We will not advise you on which option to adopt.
  • Providing our free written guide explaining the police station process.
  • The gravity of routine and day-to-day offences you face.
  • Consequences of not attending the court or police station.
  • Consequences of interfering with any witnesses.
  • Retaining any evidence in support of your case.
  • If possible an outline of the elements of the offence that the police or CPS must prove.
  • This consultation will normally be by telephone or email and will only be for as long as we deem necessary to establish if we can act for you. If we cannot usefully give you any advice in this manner then we will not continue with the consultation. We will not discuss the case in depth for you to be able to decide on your plea or any significant aspect of the case, as this cannot be undertaken informally.
  • Referring you, if possible, to other firms for matters out of our specialism or if we cannot help.

Consultations do not apply to the following cases –

  • If we do not intend to take the case on.
  • Road Traffic cases, drink driving, drug driving, driving bans, speeding, no insurance, mobile phone use, points etc.
  • In all cases where we do not have the capacity to take your case or the availability of suitably qualified staff to provide an initial free consultation. This is applicable in all cases but especially where a more senior lawyer is required because of your personal needs or the complexity of the case.
  • Harassment/stalking/ coercive behaviour/malicious communications or road traffic cases and most sensitive cases. These cases are often too complicated to assess in short consultations.
  • The locations concerned may be too distant to represent you adequately or it may not be cost-effective for you or us.
  • The case is too complicated to assess or raises various charges or facts, complexity, or history to be considered informally or in a short consultation.
  • In most Legal aid transfers where legal aid is granted to another firm except in very grave cases, we may assess the case and merits for a transfer.
  • If your relationship has broken down with your existing solicitor or several solicitors.
  • If you have been released under investigation and have already had a police station attendance. 
  • If you hold legal aid with another firm and seek a second opinion.
  • If you are calling on behalf of the client as a friend or family member unless you have full authority and full facts.
  • To businesses.
  • Advising whether you were given good advice by your other solicitor.
  • Whether to decide to plead guilty or not guilty.
  • Whether you have an arguable defence in law or factually complicated defences.
  • Any advice you have had after your first court appearance.
  • Any advice on appeal on conviction or sentence.
  • If we feel we are unable to communicate with you.
  • If we are likely to be conflicted or breach our professional rules.