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Liverpool has one of the highest crime rates in the North West. Merseyside Police records between 136 and 147 offences per 1,000 people each year. Violence against the person accounts for the largest share, with over 25,270 offences annually. Public order offences exceed 6,900. Serious knife crime in the Merseyside force area hit 1,296 recorded offences in the most recent data period. If you are facing criminal charges in Liverpool or anywhere across Merseyside, the courts and police stations are busy, and you need a solicitor who is prepared before your first hearing.
Scarsdale Solicitors is a private criminal defence firm based in Rochdale, 43 miles from Liverpool along the M62. The drive takes under 50 minutes. We represent clients at Liverpool Crown Court, Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court, and Sefton Magistrates’ Court in Bootle. Our director, Shazia Ali, has practised criminal law for over 20 years and personally reviews every case the firm takes on.
We are a paid-services-only firm. We do not offer Legal Aid. Every client gets direct access to their solicitor, a fixed-fee quote before they instruct us, and case preparation that starts the day we are appointed.
A criminal defence solicitor represents you from the moment you are arrested or charged through to the conclusion of your case. In Liverpool, that means attending the custody suite at St Anne Street Police Station (L3 3HJ), where Merseyside Police process most city-centre arrests. It means appearing at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court and Liverpool Crown Court, both housed at the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts in Derby Square (L2 1XA). And it means preparing your defence properly, not just turning up on the morning of your hearing to read the file for the first time.
At Scarsdale, every case starts with a full review of the prosecution evidence. We obtain the disclosure early, examine CCTV, body-worn camera footage from Merseyside Police officers, medical evidence, and witness statements. We identify weaknesses in the prosecution case and build your defence around them. For clients who need police station representation, we attend custody suites across Merseyside to advise before any interview takes place.
Our criminal defence practice covers a defined set of offences. We focus on the areas where we have the deepest experience and the strongest results.
Assault (common assault, ABH, GBH): Liverpool sees a high volume of assault charges. Alcohol-related violence around Concert Square, Mathew Street and Bold Street fills the weekend charge sheets at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court. Common assault under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 carries up to 6 months. ABH under Section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 carries up to 5 years. GBH with intent under Section 18 carries life imprisonment. We defend all levels and regularly argue self-defence under Section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
Public order and affray: Match days at Anfield (capacity 61,276) and the new Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock create flashpoints for public order offences. So does the city centre nightlife. Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 is the most common charge and also the most frequently overcharged. Merseyside Police officers sometimes issue Section 5 charges after minor verbal exchanges that would not meet the legal threshold of causing genuine harassment, alarm or distress. Affray under Section 3 is more serious, carrying up to 3 years, and requires proof that a reasonable person present would have feared for their safety.
Harassment and stalking: The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 requires a course of conduct (at least two incidents). Section 2 covers basic harassment. Section 4 covers putting someone in fear of violence. Stalking was added under Sections 2A and 4A. We see harassment charges in Liverpool arising from relationship breakdowns, neighbour disputes in densely populated areas like Toxteth and Anfield, and workplace situations. Restraining orders are often sought alongside the criminal charge, and even an acquittal does not always prevent one being imposed.
Possession of offensive weapons: Merseyside has recorded 1,296 serious knife offences, and Merseyside Police runs regular stop-and-search operations in the city centre, Toxteth, Walton, and Croxteth. Weapons charges fall under Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 and Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 for bladed articles. We challenge the lawfulness of the search under PACE Code A and argue statutory defences including reasonable excuse and lawful authority.
Criminal damage: Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, damage valued under £5,000 is summary-only at the magistrates’ court. Damage over £5,000 is either-way with a maximum of 10 years at the Crown Court. Arson carries life imprisonment regardless of the damage value.
Dangerous and careless driving (serious injury): Driving offences that cause serious injury or death fall within both our criminal defence and motoring law practices. Causing serious injury by dangerous driving carries up to 5 years. Causing death by dangerous driving carries life imprisonment following the 2022 sentencing changes.
We do not handle sexual offence cases, fraud, or drug offences. If you need a solicitor for any of those matters, we can point you towards specialist firms.
Liverpool’s criminal courts are concentrated at one site. The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts in Derby Square houses both Liverpool Crown Court and Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court. Sefton Magistrates’ Court in Bootle handles cases from the Sefton borough, including Bootle, Crosby, and Southport.
Court | Handles | Location |
|---|---|---|
Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court | Summary and either-way offences | Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Derby Square, L2 1XA |
Liverpool Crown Court | Serious either-way and indictable-only offences | Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Derby Square, L2 1XA |
Sefton Magistrates’ Court | Summary and either-way offences (Sefton borough) | Bootle |
Summary offences like common assault and Section 5 public order are heard at the magistrates’ court. The maximum sentence a magistrate can impose is 12 months for a single offence. Either-way offences (ABH, affray, weapons charges) can be heard at either court. You have the right to elect Crown Court trial for either-way offences. Indictable-only offences like GBH with intent must go to Liverpool Crown Court before a judge and jury.
We have represented clients at all three courts. The procedure is the same as in Manchester and other cities across England and Wales. What differs is the local caseload: Liverpool’s magistrates’ court processes a heavy volume of assault and public order cases, and delays are common. Getting your solicitor instructed early gives us time to prepare the case before the first hearing, not during it.
If you are arrested in Liverpool, you will most likely be taken to the custody suite at St Anne Street Police Station (L3 3HJ). Merseyside Police also operates custody suites across the wider force area for arrests in Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, and Wirral.
You have the right to free and independent legal advice at the police station under Section 58 of PACE 1984. This right applies regardless of the offence. You should ask for a solicitor before answering any questions.
When you contact us from custody, this is what happens:
If Merseyside Police want to extend your detention beyond 24 hours, we attend the superintendent’s review to argue against extension.
Liverpool has solicitors’ firms. So why travel 43 miles along the M62?
Three reasons come up repeatedly from our Liverpool and Merseyside clients.
Fixed fees give you cost certainty. Most criminal defence solicitors in Liverpool charge by the hour or rely on Legal Aid funding, which limits the preparation time available per case. We quote a fixed fee before you instruct us. No hourly billing that creeps upward. No invoice surprises after sentencing.
You get your solicitor, not a rota. Legal Aid duty solicitors are assigned by the court. You do not choose them, and they may be handling multiple cases that same day. When you instruct Scarsdale, you get Shazia Ali and her team. You know who is handling your case, and you can reach them directly.
We prepare as if every case is going to trial. That means obtaining the full prosecution disclosure, reviewing CCTV frame by frame, instructing experts where needed, and building the strongest possible defence. If the case resolves through negotiation or a lesser plea, that preparation gives us the position of strength to negotiate from. Our approach is the same whether the charge is a Section 5 public order offence or GBH with intent.
The M62 corridor connects our Rochdale office to Liverpool in under 50 minutes. We travel to Derby Square for court hearings and to St Anne Street for custody attendance. For our Manchester clients, we are 15 minutes away. For Liverpool, it is a straightforward motorway run.
Merseyside Police covers five metropolitan boroughs: Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, and Wirral. We represent clients from across the entire force area.
Within Liverpool itself, we act for clients from Toxteth, Anfield, Walton, Croxteth, West Derby, Kirkdale, and every other district. In the wider Merseyside area, we cover Huyton, Kirkby, Bootle, Crosby, Southport, Birkenhead, and St Helens.
For clients in Widnes (Cheshire) and other areas bordering Merseyside, we can attend custody suites and courts across the region. Our Rochdale base sits on the M62 corridor with direct access to both Liverpool and Manchester.
We charge fixed fees for most criminal defence matters. The fee depends on three things: the offence, the court, and the expected number of hearings.
For a common assault case at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court, the fee is lower than for a GBH trial at Liverpool Crown Court. That is obvious, but the point is that we tell you the fee at the outset so you can make an informed decision.
For police station attendance, the fee covers the initial phone consultation, attending St Anne Street or another Merseyside custody suite, the pre-interview conference, the interview itself, and post-interview advice.
We provide a full fee quote during your free initial consultation. No obligation, no pressure. You decide whether to instruct us after you know the price.
Check our fees page for an overview of our pricing structure.
Liverpool’s crime profile shapes the types of cases we handle for Merseyside clients.
Violence against the person is the dominant offence category. Over 25,270 offences per year means Liverpool’s assault caseload is among the heaviest in the North West. The city centre nightlife around Concert Square and Mathew Street generates a predictable pattern: alcohol-fuelled confrontations on Friday and Saturday nights, arrests at closing time, charges the following week. Many of these are common assault or ABH cases where the evidence is disputed, CCTV is incomplete, or self-defence applies.
Football-related public order is a factor that other cities do not have at the same scale. With Anfield holding 61,276 supporters and Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock opening, match-day policing generates Section 5 charges, banning order applications, and affray cases. We defend clients accused of offences at or near football grounds, and we challenge football banning orders where the evidence does not support a proportionate restriction.
Knife crime is a persistent concern in certain Liverpool postcodes. Merseyside Police targets Toxteth, Walton, Croxteth, and Kirkdale with stop-and-search operations. These operations produce weapons charges, and the lawfulness of the search is often the strongest line of defence. If the officer lacked reasonable grounds under PACE, the evidence obtained during that search may be excluded at trial.
Drug-related crime is high across Merseyside. We do not handle drug offence cases ourselves, but the drug trade in Liverpool drives associated offences that we do defend: assaults connected to disputes, weapons possession, criminal damage, and public order offences. The underlying circumstances matter, and we make sure the court sees the full picture.
If you are facing criminal charges in Liverpool or anywhere across Merseyside, contact us for a free confidential consultation. We will discuss your case, explain your options, and give you a fixed-fee quote with no obligation.
You do not need to travel to Rochdale. Initial consultations are conducted by phone or video. If we take your case, we attend Liverpool’s courts and custody suites in person.
Can a solicitor from Rochdale represent me at Liverpool Crown Court?
Yes. Any solicitor regulated by the SRA can represent you at any court in England and Wales. Scarsdale Solicitors regularly attends Liverpool Crown Court and Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court at the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts in Derby Square. Our Rochdale office is 43 miles from Liverpool, under 50 minutes via the M62.
What should I do if I am arrested in Liverpool?
Give your name and address when asked, but do not answer questions about the alleged offence. Tell the custody sergeant you want legal advice. You have the right to speak to a solicitor privately before any interview under Section 58 of PACE 1984. Call Scarsdale Solicitors and we will attend the custody suite at St Anne Street or wherever you are being held.
How much does a private criminal solicitor in Liverpool cost?
Scarsdale Solicitors charges fixed fees based on the offence, the court, and the expected number of hearings. We provide a full quote during your free initial consultation. You will know the cost before you decide to instruct us. We do not offer Legal Aid.
Do you handle cases at Sefton Magistrates’ Court in Bootle?
Yes. We represent clients at Sefton Magistrates’ Court as well as at Liverpool Crown Court and Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court. Cases from Bootle, Crosby, Southport, and the wider Sefton area are generally listed at Sefton Magistrates’ in Bootle.
What criminal offences does Scarsdale Solicitors not handle?
We do not handle sexual offence cases, fraud, or drug offences. Our criminal defence practice covers assault (common assault, ABH, GBH), harassment and stalking, public order and affray, possession of offensive weapons, criminal damage, and serious driving offences. If you need a solicitor for an offence we do not cover, we can refer you to a specialist firm.
Will my employer find out about a criminal charge in Liverpool?
Not automatically. A charge is not a conviction, and employers are not routinely notified. If your role requires DBS checks (teaching, healthcare, financial services), an unspent conviction will appear on an enhanced check. We advise on the employment implications as part of your defence and act with discretion throughout. Many of our Liverpool clients are professionals who need their case handled without disruption to their working lives.
I would like to thank Shazia and the Scarsdale team. Super efficient, fast responding and knew exactly what to do in the situation I was in. Highly recommend for any immigration needs