US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
UK justice secretary proposes limiting jury trials to murder, manslaughter and rape cases amid record 78,000+ case backlog
Justice Secretary David Lammy aims to limit jury trials to murder, manslaughter, rape, and public interest cases to reduce a backlog exceeding 78,000 in Crown Courts.
- On Tuesday, Justice Secretary David Lammy proposed scrapping jury trials for most offences in England and Wales, keeping juries only for murder, rape, and manslaughter cases.
- The MoJ presentation produced earlier this month noted Crown Courts face a record backlog of more than 78,000 cases, which officials warn could exceed 100,000, delaying trials until late 2029 or early 2030.
- The MoJ briefing outlines creating a Crown Court Bench Division to hear many cases by judges alone, retaining judge-alone hearings for complex fraud, financial and cyber crime but removing lay magistrates in many serious trials.
- Legal bodies and opposition figures warned that removing jury trials would undermine a constitutional feature over 800 years old, risk fairness, remove the automatic right to appeal, and increase magistrates' sentencing powers to 24 months.
- The reforms require primary legislation scheduled for early next year, with ministers expected to set out detailed plans within the coming weeks and seek cross-Cabinet sign-off.
Insights by Ground AI
Podcasts & Opinions
29 Articles
29 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources29
Leaning Left4Leaning Right7Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
42% Center
L 21%
C 42%
R 37%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
