Trial Bundle

A trial bundle is the working set of documents the court, the prosecution, and the defence all rely on once a case reaches trial, whether that's a Magistrates' Court summary trial or a Crown Court jury trial. It grows out of what the prosecution has already served: first the Initial Details of the Prosecution Case, then the fuller evidence, witness statements, exhibits, and the indictment or charge sheet, with the defence statement and any defence evidence built around it.

Most of this now lives on Common Platform in the magistrates' court, and on the Digital Case System in the Crown Court, so "building the bundle" is less about physical folders and more about keeping a digital case organised, properly labelled, and easy to navigate under time pressure.

Because the prosecution serves first, the trial bundle isn't something either side compiles alone. It's an evolving record that has to stay accurate as the case moves toward trial.