... completely re-heard by a judge who sits with two magistrates. They may arrive at the same original decision by the magistrates and confirm the conviction, or they can decide that the case is not proved and reverse the decision. It is possible for them to vary the decision and find the defendant guilty of a lesser offence. Where the appeal is against sentence, the Crown Court can confirm the original sentence or it could be increased or decreased. Any increase in sentence can only be up to the magistrates' maximum powers for the case. Over the last few years about 15, 000 appeals are made to the Crown Court each year and judicial statistics, as published by the Lord Chancellor Department, show that an appeal is allowed in approximately one quarter of cases, and a magistrates' order is varied in about another quarter. This shows that about half of the appeals ...

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