Newton hearing

A Newton hearing or inquiry is a comparatively modern legal procedure in English law, used where the two sides offer such conflicting evidence that a judge sitting alone (that is, without a jury) tries to ascertain which party is telling the truth. They are generally used when a defendant pleads guilty to an offence (as in R v Newton itself), but there are factual issues (relating, for example, to the appropriate sentence) that need to be resolved between the prosecution and defence.