Criminal Appeal Act

The Criminal Appeal Act of 1907 in the United Kingdom established a comprehensive system for appealing criminal convictions. This act created an elaborate appellate procedure that allowed for challenges to judgments, proceeding from lower courts up to the House of Lords, which served as the highest court until 2009 when it was succeeded by the Supreme Court.1

The Court of Appeal in England and Wales, part of the Senior Courts, includes a Criminal Division headed by the lord chief justice. This division hears appeals from the Crown Court and courts-martial. While generally not receiving fresh evidence, the court has the discretion to do so if it serves the interests of justice. The Court of Appeal can uphold or reverse a lower court's decision, but it cannot impose a harsher sentence, except in specific cases of leniency referred by the attorney general. Decisions from the Court of Appeal can typically be appealed to the Supreme Court with leave.2