Stafford Crown Court Listings

Stafford Crown Court Listings: Where Each Day's List Appears

Stafford Crown Court Listings appear in two official places, and this page shows the first of them. The daily list, published by HMCTS through its Court and Tribunal Hearings service, sets out the time, courtroom, hearing type and case number for the next sitting day. It is the court's plan for that day, published before it starts.

The second source is the court's live status page on XHIBIT for Stafford. It shows each courtroom in a row and updates as cases are called, from 10am on sitting days. Search previews sometimes show an old copy of it dated months earlier. The page itself was live and updating in October 2026.

To check a case for a particular day, the steps are short:

1. Pick the date in the list panel above, or open the official list from the button there.
2. Find your case number, not a name, in the case reference column.
3. Note the courtroom and the time, then read any note beside the entry.
4. On the day, open the XHIBIT page to see whether that courtroom has started.

Looking for Stafford Crown Court listings for Monday? There is no fixed publication time, so check on Friday evening and again on Monday morning. The guide to when lists are published explains why timings vary.

What Time Will a Case Be Called at Stafford Crown Court?

A Stafford list time is the start of a block, not an appointment. In the eight daily lists this site stored between 6 and 15 October 2026, almost four in ten hearings were set for 10am. The next largest group, about one in five, was set for 2pm.

The question people ask most about Stafford is roughly when a case will come on. If several cases share 10am in one courtroom, the judge takes them one after another. A short mention may be dealt with in minutes. A sentence hearing can take an hour or more, so the last 10am case may not start until late morning.

After lunch, the 2pm block works differently. If a trial is running in the same room, a 2pm sentence or bail application waits until the judge can break from it. So it may start later than listed. In the same period, the latest start on any Stafford list was 3.30pm.

In practice, arrive well before the listed time and expect to wait.

Defendants and witnesses must stay until they are released. Family members can step out, but the case may be called while they are away. The daily list explainer covers the columns in more detail.

Courtroom Numbers on the Stafford List

Stafford's lists in October 2026 used only a few rooms each day, usually three and never more than four. Court 1 carried about half of all hearings, so most visitors in that period were heading to the same room.

The XHIBIT page lists more rows than that, with Courts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 99. So a letter or list that names a room outside 1 to 3 is not necessarily an error. The court opens rooms as the work needs them, and a case can move between rooms during the day.

Court 99 deserves a word of caution. It appears on a small share of Stafford entries and on the XHIBIT page, but no official source explains it for visitors. If your entry says Court 99, check your letter, then ask the enquiry desk or an usher on arrival. The guide to finding your courtroom covers what to do when a room changes.

What Fills the Stafford Crown Court Schedule?

The Stafford Crown Court schedule is mostly trials and sentences, plus the hearings that prepare them.

Hearing Types in the October 2026 Lists

In the stored lists from 6 to 15 October 2026, about a quarter of entries were trials and nearly a fifth were sentence hearings. Most of the rest were case-management and bail hearings that move a case towards trial.

Jury or Judge Alone, and Who Prosecutes

One listing site for Stafford says every case there goes before a jury, and that is wrong. A jury decides verdicts in trials only. Sentences, mentions, bail hearings and plea hearings take place before a judge alone, and those made up most of Stafford's entries.

The Crown Prosecution Service brings most cases, and the lists named it on 83 of the 117 entries. Another 23, about one in five, named a different prosecuting body, and the rest named none. The case papers will say who is prosecuting.

Two other list types matter too. A trial that has no fixed date can sit on the warned list before it reaches a daily list. Fixed trial dates are set out on the firm list.

Busy Days, Quiet Days and Restricted Entries

The one Monday and both Thursdays were the heaviest days in the period this site stored. The busiest list was Monday 12 October 2026, with 20 hearings, and both Thursdays carried 19. By contrast, both Wednesdays were light, with 8 and 9 entries.

Across the eight lists, the average was about 15 hearings a day.

Eight lists is a short sample, and listing offices change their plans with trials and judges. Treat it as a reason to expect a busier waiting area on a Monday. Do not treat it as a rule.

A large share of Stafford's entries carry a reporting-restriction note. In the same period, 44 of the 117 hearings had one, nearly four in ten. A note means the court has limited what can be published about that case. Whether the public can sit in is a separate decision for the judge.

Some hearings take place partly by video. Fourteen entries in the period mentioned CVP, the court's video platform, meaning someone joins by video link. Those hearings still sit in a courtroom on the list. The public gallery guide covers what observers can and cannot do.

Can You Find Out the Charges or the Result From the List?

The list does not show charges or results. A Stafford entry gives a time, a courtroom, a hearing type, a case number and a defendant shown mostly as asterisks. It says what the court plans to do, not what happened. Being listed says nothing about guilt.

So how do people find out the charge or a plea outcome? There are four honest routes.

1. Sit in the public gallery. Most hearings are open, and pleas are taken in open court at the Plea and Trial Preparation hearing.
2. Watch XHIBIT on the day. It shows which case each courtroom is hearing and updates its status, though not the result.
3. Ask the court. The Crown Court office can say what information it is able to give about a public hearing.
4. Check local news. Reporters cover some Stafford cases, and their reports carry the result.

Nobody can search the lists on this site by a defendant's name. Most entries show only asterisks, and this site adds a surname only when it reads clearly and no restriction applies. Anyone named on a list who wants an entry reviewed can use the removal request page.

If you are a victim or witness in the case, there is a better route. The Witness Care Unit or the police officer in the case can tell you what happened. The guide for victims of crime at court explains who keeps you informed.

One Building, Crown and County Work Under One Roof

Stafford Combined Court Centre is one building on Victoria Square that houses both the Crown Court and county court work. Its Find a Court page lists crime and High Court cases, which it describes as serious or high-profile cases, alongside money claims, housing, bankruptcy, divorce and adoption.

Hearings of all kinds take place in Stafford, but the paperwork for civil and family cases runs through Stoke. Find a Court gives Stoke-on-Trent county court mailboxes for civil hearings, family cases and enforcement. Crown Court matters keep their own Stafford contacts, with one address for general enquiries and one for listing. Use the listing address for questions about dates and times.

For lawyers, the Crown Court location code is 455 and the county court code is 333. The building takes part in HMCTS Common Platform and in the professional users' access scheme.

Stafford is in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region, and its lists sit with the other courts of that region on this site.

Inside, Find a Court records a ramp at the entrance, a lift between the ground and first floors and level access to courtrooms. Hearing enhancement and video links are available by prior arrangement, so ask the court office before the day.

Where Should You Park for a Full Day at Stafford Crown Court?

For a full day at court, choose a long-stay or variable-stay car park, not a short-stay one.

Car Parks That Cover a Whole Court Day

Short-stay spaces will not last a trial day. Stafford Borough Council's own tariff sheet, last updated in April 2025, limits its short-stay car parks to four hours. Broad Street and the Doxey Road short-stay car park both carry that limit on weekdays.

A trial day or jury day usually runs longer than four hours. The council's long-stay and variable-stay car parks allow a whole day.

Charges, Blue Badges and Flooding at Doxey Road

On the April 2025 tariff, a day at the long-stay car parks cost £4.80. Up to eight hours at Victoria Park or the Waterfront cost £7.00, and the same time at the Civic Centre cost £11.00. Charges change, so check the council's car parking page before you go.

Blue badge holders should read the small print. On the council's variable-stay car parks, the first four hours are free and normal charges apply after that. On long-stay car parks, a badge gives free parking up to the maximum stay. The two pay-on-foot car parks, the Waterfront and Riverside Undercroft (under the Riverside shops off South Walls), charge everyone, badge holders included.

Doxey Road Long Stay can close when the river floods. When that happens, the council lets paying drivers use the Doxey Road short-stay car park instead, and it warns that flooding can rise quickly. In wet weather, check the council's notice before relying on it.

Walking times from each car park are not given here. Use the map below, or the directions link on the Find a Court page, to judge the route from where you park.

Directions from your location: Google Maps · Apple Maps

Arriving at Victoria Square for the First Time

Arrive early, because everyone passes through airport-style security before reaching the courtrooms.

Staff search bags and may take sharp items away. Phones must be silent in court, and photographs and recordings are not allowed anywhere in the building.

Bring your letter, summons or case number. The building's opening times appear in the contact details above. Once through security, confirm your courtroom with staff. The room may differ from your letter, since staff move cases between rooms on the day.

Refreshments in the building come from vending machines, according to Find a Court. For a long day, bring water and something to eat. The guide to security checks at court lists items that cause delays, and what to expect at a Crown Court covers the courtroom itself.

Witnesses, Jurors, Defendants and Families at Stafford

Each person heading to Victoria Square has a slightly different day, so the details below are split by role.

Witnesses usually receive a set time, but trials rarely run exactly to plan. The Witness Service supports witnesses for both sides and can often arrange a visit before the day. Expect to wait in a separate area and to be called by an usher. The witness guide explains the process.

Jurors follow the times on their summons, which may be earlier on the first day. GOV.UK says jurors usually sit from 10am to 5.30pm, and that service usually lasts up to 10 working days. Drivers can claim a mileage rate, and the jury expenses page says to check whether the court will pay for parking.

Defendants must arrive by the listed time and report to their lawyer or the usher. If you are on bail and will be late, call the court and your solicitor straight away. The defendant guide covers the day itself.

Family members may sit in the public gallery for most hearings. If the hearing is for sentence, the defendant may be taken into custody from the dock. The family guide explains what happens then and where to ask for help.

Why Might a Case Be Missing From the Stafford List?

A case can be missing for ordinary reasons. The next day's list may not be out yet, or the hearing may have moved to another day or court. It may also be one of the entries kept off the public list. Youth cases and some restricted matters never appear in full.

Before assuming anything, check the date, check that the letter says Stafford rather than Stoke-on-Trent, and check that the day's list is already out.

Then look again later in the evening, and on the morning itself.

If the case still does not appear, contact the court or your solicitor. A missing entry never cancels an instruction to attend. The guide to why a case is not listed goes through each cause.

Which Other Courts Handle Staffordshire Cases?

Several courts share Staffordshire's criminal work.

The one most often confused with Stafford is Stoke. Stoke-on-Trent Combined Court is a separate Crown Court on Bethesda Street in Hanley, according to its Find a Court page. National list services often show the two next to each other, so check your letter.

Most Crown Court cases begin in a magistrates' court. Magistrates' courts that handle crime nearby include Cannock Magistrates' Court and North Staffordshire Justice Centre. Magistrates then send a case to the Crown Court for trial or for sentence. The search page finds any other court by name or town.

• Stoke-on-Trent Combined Court: A separate Crown Court in Hanley, ST1 3BP. Check that your letter says Stafford before you travel.
• Cannock Magistrates' Court: Magistrates' criminal cases and the single justice procedure; many Crown Court cases start here.

Questions About Stafford Crown Court

The answers below cover what people most often ask about Stafford after reading the list. They deal with names, rooms, jury days, trial length and the courts nearby.

Where an answer depends on your own case, your letter and the court office come first, and a solicitor can advise on anything legal.