James Smith
131 posts
Exclusive: Jury trials will be scrapped for thousands of cases a year including assaults, burglary, fraud and drug dealing in a bid to tackle the court backlog and avoid Britain returning to a “Victorian” justice system David Lammy, the justice secretary, told The Times that the scale of the backlog – which has reached nearly 80,000 cases – is failing victims as he warned that “justice delayed is justice denied” Lammy is expected to announce that he will scrap the right to trial by jury in “either way” cases, where defendants have the choice to have their cases heard in the magistrates’ or crown court. Last year there were an estimated 13,000 either way cases – including theft and handling stolen goods, burglary, assault causing actual bodily harm, fraud, dangerous driving and possession of drugs with intent to supply – went before juries. Under the government’s reforms their cases will instead be heard by a single judge. It goes further than recommendations earlier this year from Sir Brian Leveson, a former appeal judge, that they should be heard by a judge and two magistrates. However the justice secretary has abandoned more radical plans to go further by dropping jury trials in all cases bar murder, rape and manslaughter after a significant backlash by the legal profession The justice secretary raised concerns that some offenders are “playing the system” by asking for a trial by jury only to plead guilty “as late as possible”. Official figures show that defendants make late guilty pleas in a third of crown court cases, wasting time and resources and delaying justice for victims. He said: “I think if you are a victim of crime – let's say you're raped in London tonight and you are waiting until 2028 for your trial to come on – the system is not working for you. “I remember studying Bleak House for my A-levels, and the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case that went on and on and on. We cannot go back to a Victorian system in which all new people who are the victims of crime don't get justice.” Lammy said that the changes will represent the “biggest reforms for a generation” and said that it was ultimately about “saving the jury system” David Lammy: ‘I don’t want to scrap juries. This is about saving them’ thetimes.com/article/5d74c3…
If you are raped today, you could be waiting until 2030 for trial. Victims across land need leadership & decisive action to get our justice system moving. “Why curtailing juries can help save British justice.” Me for @NewStatesman ⬇️⬇️⬇️ newstatesman.com/politics/uk-po…
