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MG04

Charge Sheet

MG04 – Charge Sheet records the offences with which a person is charged, their response after charge and any grant of unconditional bail. It is completed by the custody sergeant and forms part of the formal police charging process.

Category: Charging and bail

Available templates

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Additional guidance

MG04 is the police charge sheet. It is used when a person is formally charged with an offence at a police station.

The custody sergeant uses the form to record:

  • the offence or offences charged;
  • the defendant’s response when charged; and
  • any unconditional bail granted after charge.

MG04 is different from MG03, which is used to ask the CPS for pre-charge advice or a charging decision. MG04 records the charge once the relevant police or CPS charging decision has been made.

A charge is a formal allegation, not proof of guilt. The defendant should receive charge paperwork and obtain legal advice promptly. If released after charge, bail may require them to attend court on a specified date. The court – not the charge sheet – will later deal with issues such as plea, bail, remand and how the case proceeds.

The current public reference is the Home Office criminal casefile and MG-form guidance. Public information about the next steps is available at GOV.UK: being charged with a crime and GOV.UK: bail after charge.