Verdict of "dīcere", to say). In a criminal case, the verdict, which may be either "not guilty" or "guilty"—except in Scotland where the verdict of "not proven" is also available—is handed down by the jury. Different counts in the same case may have different verdicts. A verdict of guilty in a criminal case is generally followed by a judgment of conviction rendered by judge, which in turn be followed by sentencing. In U.S. legal nomenclature, the verdict is the finding of the jury on the questions of fact submitted to it. Once the court (the judge) receives the verdict, the judge
Magistrate (England and Wales) approximately 16,125 magistrates in England and Wales. Magistrates sit in tribunals or "benches" composed of no more than three members. Although three is the usual number, a bench is properly constituted with two members. However, if they sit as two on a trial and disagree about the verdict, a retrial will be necessary (see "Bagg v Colquhoun" (1904) 1KB 554). Magistrates deal with around 97 per cent of criminal cases in England and Wales. A single magistrate sitting on his or her own has very limited power. They can however, deal with remand applications, issue search warrants and warrants for