I Missed My Court Date. What Will Happen?

If you have missed your Court date, and depending on the severity of your charge, a Court can do any one of the following:

Adjourn your matter to a later date, and ask the Registrar of the Court to notify you (usually via letter to your residential address) of your next Court date; or

Deal with your matter in your absence. Should this occur, the Court will proceed to hear and determine your matter in your absence and will impose a penalty. In these circumstances, a Court can record a conviction against you and depending on the offence, can impose licence disqualifications; or

Issue a warrant for your arrest.

Can I apply to have my matter re-heard if I missed my Court date?

If you have missed your Court date and have been found guilty in your absence, you may be able to have the decision annulled (cancelled) and re-heard.

In order to pursued the Court to annul the decision, you must be able to provide a good reason as to why you missed the date.

Common reasons for failing to attend Court and making an annulment application include:
1) You did not receive your Court Attendance Notice in the mail until after the date;
2) You were sick on the day and could not attend; or
3) You were delayed for reasons beyond your control.

If a Court is satisfied of your reasoning for not attending Court, the decision may be annulled and re-heard.

If you have missed your Court date, you should immediately contact one of our lawyers on (02) 9025 9888 to obtain advice as to what your next steps should be.

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I Missed My Court Date. What Will Happen?

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