267. Appellant's failure to appear

267. Appellant's failure to appear

(1) If an appellant (other than the DPP) fails to appear at the time listed for the hearing of the appeal, the County Court may—

(a) strike out the appeal; or

(b) adjourn the proceeding on any terms that it considers appropriate.

(2) If an appeal is struck out under subsection (1)(a)—

(a) the sentence of the Magistrates' Court is reinstated and may be enforced as if an appeal had not been commenced but, for the purposes of the enforcement of any penalty, time is deemed not to have run during the period of any stay; and

(b) the registrar of the County Court must give to the respondent or to the respondent's legal practitioner a copy of the order striking out the appeal; and

(c) the making of an order striking out an appeal discharges the undertaking of the appellant to proceed with the appeal.

(3) The County Court, at any time, may set aside an order striking out an appeal because of the failure of the appellant to appear, if the appellant satisfies the court that the failure to appear was not due to fault or neglect on the part of the appellant.

(4) An application under subsection (3) to set aside an order may be made at any time on notice in writing to the respondent served a reasonable time before the making of the application.

(5) Notice under subsection (4) must be served in the same way as a notice of appeal.

(6) If the County Court grants an application under subsection (3), the court—

(a) must order the reinstatement of the appeal subject to the payment of any costs that the court considers appropriate; and

(b) may require the appellant to give a further undertaking to proceed with the appeal.

(7) On the reinstatement of an appeal under subsection (6), the appeal operates as a stay of the sentence (but not a conviction in respect of the sentence) when—

(a) if required, the appellant signs the undertaking referred to in subsection (6)(b); and

(b) if the appellant is in custody because of the sentence appealed against and bail is granted under section 265, the appellant enters bail.

(8) Subsection (7) is subject to section 29 of the Road Safety Act 1986.

Section 29 of the Road Safety Act provides that an appeal does not automatically stay orders made by a court against a person's licence, though on application the court does have the power to grant such a stay.