Pre-trial Conference - Singapore Courts

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Represent yourself in a criminal trial

Pre-trial conference

Before the date of your trial is scheduled, you will have to attend a pre-trial conference to deal with administrative matters in preparation for trial.

What is a pre-trial conference

If you claim trial during your court mention, the Mentions Court may schedule the case for a pre-trial conference (PTC).

The purpose of the PTC is to prepare you and the prosecution for trial, and to deal with relevant matters before the trial date is scheduled.

Tip

You may apply to change your PTC dates in writing or via the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) (for State Courts cases) or by sending an email to [email protected] (for Supreme Court cases) if you have valid reasons for being unable to attend court on the scheduled dates.

What to expect

You have to attend the PTC together with the prosecution (who will be represented by a prosecuting officer).

You and the prosecution will inform the judge of the evidence you will present at trial and the witnesses you will call. The judge will also let you know whether criminal case disclosure conference (CCDC) procedures apply to your case.

Once all relevant matters in preparation for trial, including a CCDC (if applicable), have been sorted out and parties are ready for trial, the judge will then schedule the case for trial.

Note

If you are charged with an offence specified in sections 375 to 377B of the Penal Code, your case will be transferred to the General Division of the High Court where it will be heard. This process is known as a transmission proceeding.

What to prepare

You should be prepared to do the following:

Ask if the prosecution intends to use any written statements you gave to the police during investigation; and if so, you may request for a copy of that statement.
Indicate to the court the number of witnesses that you wish to call at the trial.
If you or your witnesses are not comfortable giving evidence in English, inform the judge you require an interpreter.

The judge may also ask you for an indication of the defences that you intend to rely on. It would be useful for you to think about this before the PTC.

Need help?

The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may seek independent legal advice or community resources.

Find out more

Resources

GuidesRefer to:

Guidebook for Accused in Person (English) (PDF, 1536 KB)
Guidebook for Accused in Person (Chinese) (PDF, 4852 KB)
Guidebook for Accused in Person (Malay) (PDF, 2638 KB)
Guidebook for Accused in Person (Tamil) (PDF, 2208 KB)

Practice directionsRefer to:

Part XIV of the Supreme Court Practice Directions for cases heard in the Supreme Court.
Part XVIII of the State Courts Practice Directions for cases heard in the State Courts.

Go to Step-by-step guide