News story

Update on Common Platform for defence professionals: HMCTS online event

A recording of the live event on 24 September 2021 on our criminal case management system, including presentation slides.

This news article was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn as the event has passed and some guidance may be out of date. You can still watch a recording of the event on our YouTube channel.

In this event a panel of programme leaders provided an update on the rollout of Common Platform for defence professionals and gave the opportunity to ask questions.

The panel discussed onboarding, updates to the defence professional support pack, how feedback is used to improve Common Platform and frequently asked questions. The second half of the session was dedicated to live questions and answers from the panel and a range of subject matter experts from HMCTS and representatives from other criminal justice partner agencies.

The panel included:

  • Michelle Penn – Deputy Director, HMCTS Crime Programme
  • John Rigg – Business Change Manager, HMCTS Crime Programme
  • Jayson Lewis – HMCTS Head of Crime, Wales
  • Melanie Harding – Project Support Officer, HMCTS Crime Programme

The panel was also joined by representatives of other criminal justice system agencies as part of a question and answer session.

HMCTS update on Common Platform for defence professionals

Published 29 September 2021
Last updated 22 October 2021 + show all updates
  1. Q&A from event added, plus a simple guide for defence practitioners.

  2. First published.