Editing Operation Spanner (section)

=== Magistrates' Court ===
On 9 October 1989, the men appeared before Camberwell Magistrates' Court to face the charges against them. They were remanded to reappear at [[Lambeth Magistrates' Court]] on 20 November.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11931638.15-charged-after-operation-spanner/|title=15 charged after Operation Spanner|date=10 October 1989|work=The Herald}}</ref>

The charges brought against the men included conspiracy charges, which as indictable-only offences can only be heard in [[Crown Court]], so the case was referred to the [[Old Bailey]].<ref name=":1" /> The fact that these charges were later dropped led to accusations that the government viewed the trial as a [[Test case (law)|test case]],<ref name=":14">{{Cite news|title=Case redefines what consenting adults can do|last=Cohen|first=Nick|date=20 December 1990|work=The Independent}}</ref> and intentionally sought to have it heard in Crown Court, where legal precedent could be set in the event of a guilty verdict.<ref name=":12" />