Criminal law cases, i.e. where a person is being prosecuted under statutory law such as the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974(see managing occupational health and safety responsibilites), are brought by the police, the HSE or similar, and are generally heard in magistrates’ courts or the Crown court.
They can, in certain circumstances, be taken to higher courts, such as the Court of Appeal, or to the highest court in the land, the House of Lords. There is also the possibility of the case being transferred to the European Court of Justice.
Criminal law cases cannot be settled out of court. However, the charges may be dropped by the prosecution so that there is no case to answer.