Search warrants :
A search warrant gives the police and other official the legal right to search people of property. The warrant is issued by a magistrate or High Judge and allows the police to stop and search for illegal items on any person or vehicle in a public place. Before searching a person or property a police officer must state their purpose to gain the warrant and also present identification to the person or owners of the property they are about to search. In certain circumstances a search can be carried out without a warrant under the jurisdiction of the Drugs and Terrorism Acts. (See Warrant.)
Sedition :
Sedition is the legal term for the practice of speaking or writing words that may incite public disorder. If the words are written they are called seditious libel, and it must be proved that they were written with the intention to incite violence or hatred in the reader towards other people or groups.
Sentence :
A sentence is the judgement given by a court that stands as a punishment for the accused party who has pleaded guilty or been found guilty. A judge who has been presented with the facts of the case and given a verdict of guilty by a jury decides a sentence. Sentencing is at the discretion of the judge, except for murder and treason, and the length and severity of a sentence may vary from case to case. The defence can offer mitigating circumstances that may reduce or alter the sentence given, but it cannot be overturned once it is made. In addition to imprisonment, a court may present community punishment, probation orders or hospital orders as the appropriate sentence.
Sexual offence :
A sexual offence is any criminal offence that is sexual in nature or intention, such as sexual assault, rape, child abuse, and paedophilia.
Sexual discrimination :
Sexual discrimination is the illegal treatment of an individual because of their gender. (See Discrimination.)
Sexual harassment :
Sexual harassment is the intimidation or abuse of an individual because of their gender. Harassment comes in a variety of different forms and can be verbal and psychological as well as physical. (See harassment.)
Sheriff Courts :
The Sheriff's Courts (roughly the equivalent of County Courts in England) are the 'workhorses' of the Scottish legal system, and the Sheriff is a full-time judge with the power to hear a wide range of both civil and criminal cases. In total, there are 49 Sheriff Courts found in the larger towns and cities around the Scotland.
Learn more about the Sheriff Court in the Crime Fighters section.
Sheriffdom :
A Sheriffdom is the administrative region presided over by the Sheriff Courts. Scotland is split into six of these administrative regions, each of which is led by a Sheriff Principal, a senior judge, who has a team of individual Sheriffs hearing cases around the area.
Sheriff Principal - :
The Sheriff Principal is the most senior judge in a Sheriffdom. They preside over a team of Sheriffs who all sit at the Sheriff Courts around Scotland's six legal regions.
Slander :
Slander is a form of defamation that is made by spoken words or gestures that don't exist in permanent form. To prove slander, witnesses must be provided to suggest that the defamation actually occurred and the statement must be proven to be slanderous - to have caused actual financial or material loss. (See defamation.)
Small claims court :
The small claims court is a civil process that resolves legal disputes in which the plaintiff claims a small sum of money. This process of arbitration occurs after a claim of less than £3,000 is made in a County Court. A registrar then supervises the informal procedure and claim is either upheld or denied.
Find out more about the Small Claims procedure in the The Law Essential Guides.
Solicitor :
A solicitor is a legal professional who gives advice to their clients before presenting their case in court. They also carry out other legal work regarding property, family and civil matters. Until the last few years a solicitor provided details of their clients case to a barrister, who actually presented the case at court, but in more recent times the solicitor presents their own cases in a courtroom. (See Barrister.)
Strict Liability :
Most crimes can be committed with intent (mens rea), but some crimes don't fall into this category and are called strict liability offences. These offences are quite often those less serious crimes such as traffic offences and those where the usual penalty is a fine.
Subpoenas :
A subpoena is an order made by a court instructing a person to appear in court on a specified date to give evidence, or to produce specified documents. The party calling for the witness must pay all reasonable expenses. Failure to comply with a subpoena is contempt of court.
Suicide :
Suicide is the act of the killing of yourself, which up until 1961, when the law was abolished, was a crime that resulted in the confiscation of the deceased's property. It is now a criminal offence assist another person to commit suicide.
Summary offences :
A summary offence is a criminal offence that is tried summarily, in other words, in front of a magistrate. Most minor criminal offences such as assault and battery, and minor theft are deemed to be summary offences. More serious crimes are called indictable offences. (See indictable offence.)
Summary proceedings :
Summary proceedings are legal proceedings relating to a summary offence and usually carried out in front of a magistrate.
Summons :
A summons is a legal document or writ that commands the person receiving the summons to appear in court before a judge or magistrate. Failure to comply with the summons can lead to a fine and imprisonment for being in contempt of court.
Supreme Court of Judicature :
The Supreme Court of Judicature or Supreme Court is made up of the three major courts in England and Wales including the High Court, the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal. They were joined together in the nineteenth century to deal with all serious civil and criminal cases that were not dealt with by the House of Lords.
Find out more about the legal system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the Crime Fighters section.
Sureties :
Sureties are the individuals to whom an accused person is entrusted to after bail. They will present a financial sum to release the accused before trial and risk forfeiting that money if the accused does not turn up to the trial at the agreed time and date.
Surety for bail :
Surety for bail is the money provided by the sureties and will be forfeited if the accused person does not turn up in court at the agreed time and date. The financial outlay is a guarantee for the accused person's good intention and character.
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO JARGON BUSTER
Contact Woolliscrofts on FREEPHONE 0800 083 97 87, or send us a free no obligation enquiry by e-mail.
There is no charge for an initial enquiry, and contacting us does not commit you to using our services.
A comprehensive guide to most legal terms, to help you understand what we are all about......