1Purposes

1 Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (a) to clarify, simplify and consolidate the laws relating to criminal procedure in the Magistrates' Court, the County Court and the Supreme Court; (b) to introduce a new procedure permitting the service of a notice to appear in the Magistrates' Court; (c) to provide new pre-trial disclosure requirements for the prosecution; (d) to provide for a 6-month time limit for the filing of charges for summary offences in the Children's Court; (e) to provide for the transfer to the County Court or Supreme Court of summary offences related to an offence to be tried on indictment by the relevant court; (f) to abolish the procedure of indictment by grand jury; (g) to provide for interlocutory appeals in criminal proceedings in the County Court and the Supreme Court; (h) to clarify the tests relating to determination of appeals by the Court of Appeal; (i) to provide for the stay of sentences on appeal; (j) to amend the **Sentencing Act 1991** to provide for a maximum fine that may be imposed for an indictable offence that is heard and determined summarily; (k) to amend the **Crimes Act 1958**, the **Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997**, the **Magistrates' Court Act 1989**, the **Children, Youth and Families Act 2005** and the **Appeal Costs Act 1998**; (l) to repeal the **Crimes (Criminal Trials) Act 1999**; (m) to make consequential and other amendments.