Definitions for "Committal proceedings"
When a person is charged with a serious criminal offence an investigation is carried out by a Magistrate, usually in a Local Court, to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the matter to go before a judge and jury. The defendant does not usually present his/her side of the story at these committal proceedings, reserving his/her defence until the trial.
preliminary hearing in a magistrates' court before a case is sent to be tried before a jury in the Crown Court;
Proceedings to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to put a person on trial for an indictable offence.