Your appeal / Northern Ireland
Appeals in Northern Ireland
Twenty-eight days, the same unsafe test as England and Wales, and the same Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Appealing
You appeal to the Court of Appeal with its leave, or on a trial judge's certificate given within 28 days. Notice is due within 28 days, and the court may extend that at any time. Prison governors must make the forms available and forward your notice.
The court allows the appeal if it thinks the conviction is unsafe. Its approach to fresh evidence follows the same considerations as in England and Wales.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission
The CCRC covers Northern Ireland, and a reference is treated as an appeal. Recent cases went both ways: in 2024 a 1976 conviction was quashed on a reference, and in 2025 a reference was dismissed.
Paying for it
Ask your lawyer or the Department of Justice about current criminal legal aid. We could not confirm the details of the current scheme for appeals, so we do not describe it here.
General information only, not legal advice. Do not rely on this page for a deadline in your case.