Drug Driving No Further Action
Drug Driving No Further Action
Drug driving No Further Action – am I safe from prosecution now?
If the police tell you that in your case for alleged drug driving No Further Action will be taken, this can sound like the all-clear is being sounded.
However, it is important to know that a notification of No Further Action is not the same as being found “not guilty” or having your case fully dismissed with the help of a drug driving solicitor.
Reach out to one of our specialist drug driving solicitors today – for FREE and with no obligation – by giving us a call on 033 03411690 or by completing a Free Online Enquiry with zero commitment to use us.
After a gruelling process of putting forward a post consumption defence the CPS failed to counter defend the evidence presented by the team at Parnell and Peel.
I’m a happy man and glad I get to keep my licence!
“Parnell and Peel what can you say. Abdul was amazing meticulous and professional throughout. Great customer care and friendly team. Everything was outstanding. Fantastic team, fantastic result.”
Here is everything you need to know about what can and could happen when the police tell you they aren't planning to take further action in your case – at least, not at this time...
Understanding Drug Driving Pre-Charge Terminology
No Further Action is one of the terms the police and Crown Prosecution Service use in the “pre-charge” phase of a drug driving case. This is the stage before any charges have been laid against you in court. Two of the most important pre-charge terms are:
1) Caution
Being given a caution is possible when you have been found to have committed a minor offence (too small for the courts to bother with) and that you accept you have committed that offence.
If you accept a caution, you will avoid prosecution. That's potentially a good thing. However, a caution means that:
- You must accept you did what the police say you did
- You must accept the caution for doing so
- You will then have this caution marked on your criminal record (for future employers to see and potentially putting you at risk of a heavier sentence in the event of a similar future offence)
To give you a caution, the police must have sufficient evidence to believe that they could realistically prosecute you should it come to it. They must also judge that your offence is not serious enough to be in the public interest to go to all the cost and effort of prosecuting.
Accepting a caution might feel like an easy way to avoid going to court. Yet it is usually a mistake to see this as the automatically correct choice should the police tell you they want to caution you.
This is because of that requirement that the police prove have enough evidence to prosecute you. Without forcing them to disclose what evidence they have, you might not know whether they actually do.
If you are “offered” a caution by the police in relation to drug driving, it is always worth at least talking your situation over with a specialist solicitor before you decide whether or not to accept it.
2) No Further Action or “NFA”
In the pre-charge phase, the police may notify you that your case has been marked No Further Action or “NFA”.
This may be because they have decided there is not currently enough evidence to proceed with a case against you. They may also decide it is not in the public interest to prosecute you at this time (usually because this is a costly and time-consuming process and they aren't sure of the evidence).
If your case has been marked for No Further Action:
- You will not be charged or cautioned at this time
- You won't have it marked on your criminal record
- However, it does not mean your case is closed – yet
It is important to know that the police have up to six months to charge you after the date you were caught allegedly drug driving. This is the same for most motoring offences. However, if someone was injured or killed in the incident or it was otherwise more serious, there is no time limit.
Even if the police say they intend to take No Further Action against you, they still have up until this six-month window closes to change their mind. This may happen for several different reasons. The most common is that more evidence has been found.
However, the Victims' Right to Review Scheme (or VRR, the method through which a victim of an incident might get the CPS to review why a case isn't being taken to court) can also lead to a case marked as No Further Action being taken up again.
Drug Driving – No Further Action
No Further Action does generally mean that your case will not be going to court. It doesn't mean that it definitely won't though.
The police and prosecution have six months from the date of the alleged incident to re-open your case if new evidence comes to light or if the VRR raises an objection. If dangerous driving was involved or someone was injured or killed though, that six-month window is extended indefinitely.
Contact Us
As in all legal matters, your best bet is to at least discuss your situation with an expert. Chat with one of our specialist drug driving solicitors today on 033 03411690 or by completing a Free Online Enquiry to find out what No Further Action really means in your particular case.
Amazing support from Abdul.
I had charge from the court for 12 points for two different incidents.
Abdul assisted me with this like family and finally got out of the charges. It was nearly a year journey and I never felt left alone.
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They done the impossible, got caught drink driving, I thought I would lose my license, however Abdul Ali insisted that I had a case, I just decided to take the risk, it went a lot better than I could have ever imagined.
He managed to drop my case before it got to the second trial, the whole experience was very smooth and he was very positive and uplifting throughout the whole process.
Just trust them and leave them to do their job.
THEY WILL SORT IT.
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Abdul Ali was extremely helpful and re-assuring throughout the process.
He was always available and on-call even outside your traditional working hours.
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Contacted Pamell and Peel on Friday re a driving offence.
Answered immediately.
Abdul has been extremely helpful.
I would definitely recommend.
“Hi Abdul, I would like to thank you and your team for looking after me after been charged with Drink Driving, from the initial contact with Nancy to speaking to you and especially Keiran who represented me in court, who I can’t thank enough. When I thought there was no hope you and Kieran sorted what I thought was a hopeless case. I would strongly recommend you to anyone in the same position. Again thank you to you and your team.”
“Stopped for drink driving, I started a dream job, and I could have lost everything, Kieran was brilliant at putting forward detailed legal arguments, which resulted in the prosecution offering no evidence in my case. Unbelievable, Thank you to Parnell & Peel Solicitors.”
First of all I would like to start with a massive Thankyou to Abdul Ali and his team.
This is to be my first review as I have never ever posted one.
I was charged with Failure To Provide Specimen with the suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The prosecution was looking to throw the book at me give a custodial sentence however due to Abdul’s above and beyond examination of the evidence it was concluded that the prosecution had no case as they had no evidence of me driving the car.
If you are in trouble it is always worth getting legal advice and seeing what can be done.
This guy is an extremely educated person and knows exactly what he is talking about.
He was throughout in contact even answering my phone at stupid times when I used to have some questions so I got to give it to him for his dedication.
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I was stopped for drink drive I was devastated as I stood on the verge of losing everything
I spoke to Abdul and he was reassuring and informed me that we could put a technical defence forward.
The prosecution on the day of the trial offered no evidence.
I am so grateful to the team at Parnel.
My experience was excellent particular thanks go to Abdul
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Even when I taught there was nothing I could Abdul reassured he would do everything he could.
Very perfessional and were always at the other end of the phone.
Received the best outcome there is and kept my license.
I am extremely grateful for the exceptional services provided by solicitor Abdul in my drink-driving case.
His expertise and dedication resulted in a successful outcome even before we went to court.
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Drink driving- Not guilty.
Worth every penny!
I was certain I would lose my license at the time.
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He clearly has a lot of experience and knowledge.
In the end I didn’t even need to go to trial as my case was dropped a few days before, all thanks to Abdul and his team.
I can’t thank him enough and I would highly recommend Parnell and Peel solicitors to anyone.
Mr Abdul Ali took my case on a few weeks before my case, he understood how vital it was for me to not get a ban on my driving licence due to totting up of points.
He was reassuring all through out the build up to my case, he guided me all through the information I would need for presenting evidence for an exceptional hardship case and on the day went through how the court process would be.
I was very nervous but through his expertise and guidance I was able to present my case and was successful in not being banned from driving.
I could not state highly enough how valuable he was to my case and me personally as soon as I met him I knew he was the right solicitor for me.
He took the time to understand my case and what I had to loose and did everything in professional capacity in court to ensure I received the verdict that I wanted.
I would highly recommend his services and expertise to anyone in such driving offences situation.
Abdul was brilliant to work with.
Answered all calls and texts with helpful information and on the day of court.
He got me the outcome I wanted
After a gruelling process of putting forward a post consumption defence the CPS failed to counter defend the evidence presented by the team at Parnell and Peel.
I’m a happy man and glad I get to keep my licence!
“My family and friends were sceptical about using Solicitors after I was stopped for drink driving. Parnell & Peel Solicitors were willing take a case on that others told was hopeless. I am astounded by Abdul and his teams brilliance in helping me to avoid conviction. If you have been stopped for drink driving do not hesitate to use Parnell & Peel Solicitors.”
Wow, words cannot express how happy I am today when I was told the good news by Abdul that my drink drive court case has been dropped.
From the very first day I contacted Abdul when i was charged with drink drive offense, he assured me to calm down and that he will do all he can to get me the possible outcome and that is exacted what I had.
I will 100% recommend Parnell and Peel Solicitors to you if you find yourself at the wrong side of the law.
Once again, thank you Abdul, Thank you Parnell and Peel Solicitors.
