Jury trials set to be scrapped except for most serious crimes
According to reports, the government is considering abolishing jury trials except for the most serious cases.
Justice Secretary David Lammy has reportedly proposed a major overhaul of the UK’s court system, suggesting jury trials could be limited to crimes such as rape, murder and manslaughter.
In a note he saw TimesMr Lammy, who also serves as deputy prime minister, argued there was no “right” to a jury trial in the UK and that such a change would not compromise the suspect’s rights.
The briefing note, circulated to other ministers and senior civil servants this month, said jury participation would continue in cases of rape, murder, manslaughter and “public interest” cases, while other less serious crimes would instead be decided by a judge.
The move comes as the government has yet to respond to recommendations made by Sir Brian Leveson in his review of how to reform the court system and reduce record court backlogs.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “There has been no final decision taken by the government.
“With a growing backlog of 78,000 cases in the courts causing pain and suffering to victims, we have been clear that this is a crisis that will require bold action to fix.”
Under Sir Brian’s recommendations, juries would be reserved to hear the most serious cases, while other cases would be referred to magistrates’ courts or the proposed Crown Court Board Division to be heard by magistrates.
last Thursday, Guard He said the government would seek to limit jury trials for thousands of cases.
Courts minister Sarah Sackman KC told the paper: “The priority for me is speedy justice, fair justice, rather than prioritizing the defendant’s right to choose where the trial will be held.”
Proposals to block jury trials have met with opposition from legal professionals, including the Bar Council, who argue that “there is no need, both in principle and in practice, to restrict the right to trial by jury”.
Sir Brian said in his review that reform of jury trials, particularly to address problems with lengthy or complex trials, was “deserved”.
“Reform to address these concerns will likely have positive effects in terms of efficiency by reducing the open caseload, as well as in terms of financial savings,” he said.
