Judge makes formal complaint over Covid custody waits – BBC News
‘A judge has claimed he was put under “improper and undue influence” to keep a defendant in custody.’
BBC News, 11th September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: courts
Custody time limit to be increased to ease court case backlog in England – The Guardian
‘Unconvicted defendants awaiting trial in prison face longer stints behind bars, as ministers plan to increase custody time limits to ease the pressure of a rising backlog of court cases, the Guardian understands.’
The Guardian, 6th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Triple threat to justice system in England and Wales, lawyers warn – The Guardian
‘The criminal justice system in England and Wales is facing the triple threat of a shortage of defence lawyers, financial shock as furlough assistance from the government ends and the mass postponement of trials due to the coronavirus pandemic.’
The Guardian, 31st August 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Has the revolution happened? Can we ever go back? – Transparency Project
‘The Lord Chief Justice called it “the biggest pilot project that the justice system has ever seen” and said “there will be no going back to February 2020”. Remote court hearings would have come sooner or later, but thanks to Covid-19 they came at us fast, in March 2020, and it looks like they’re here to stay. Ironically, they were one of the things the massive £1bn court modernisation programme was supposed to have developed, but when it came to the crunch HMCTS wasn’t quite ready so there was “the most extraordinary scramble”, said Professor Hazel Genn, to find solutions that worked.’
Transparency Project, 25th August 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
Courts cannot critique “uncontroverted” expert reports – Litigation Futures
‘It is not the role of the courts to subject “uncontroverted” expert reports to “the same kind of analysis and critique as if it was evaluating a controverted or contested report”, the High Court has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 25th August 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Four more Nightingale courts open – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Law Society has once again urged the government to avoid extending court hours to reduce the justice backlog after four more Nightingale courts opened this week.’
Law Society's Gazette, 18th August 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Prosecution strategies in AR cases (1) – Counsel
‘A two-part series from Laura Hoyano and John Riley modelling investigation and prosecution strategies in cases of abusive relationship offending. Part one of this worked case example shows the typical challenges, tactics to surmount them, and the need for innovative thinking.’
Counsel, August 2020
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
Watchdog exposes ‘unacceptable’ treatment of children in English court cells – The Guardian
‘Children with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.’
The Guardian, 7th August 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
SCCO will use remote hearings more once back to normal – Litigation Futures
‘Video and phone hearings are set to become a permanent feature of the Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) even after the coronavirus pandemic has passed, the Senior Costs Judge has said.’
Litigation Futures, 30th July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Justice committee launches inquiry into court backlog – Legal Futures
‘MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases.’
Legal Futures, 30th July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Location of ‘Nightingale courts’ to tackle case backlog in England and Wales revealed – The Guardian
‘The locations of 10 emergency “Nightingale courts” created by the Ministry of Justice for socially distanced trials to tackle the massive backlog in cases in England and Wales have been announced.’
The Guardian, 19th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Coronavirus: Ten ‘Nightingale Courts’ in England and Wales to open – BBC News
‘Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’
BBC News, 19th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Supreme Court hands down judgment in Villiers v Villiers – Parklane Plowden Chambers
‘Charles and Emma Villiers married in 1994. They moved to Scotland the following year and lived there throughout their married life. The couple separated in 2012, when the wife and the parties’ daughter left the former matrimonial home and moved to England, where the wife continues to reside. Mrs Villiers issued a divorce petition in July 2013 on the basis of her habitual residence for 12 months preceding the presentation of the petition.’
Parklane Plowden Chambers, 1st July 2020
Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk
The end of the jury trial as we know it? – 6KBW College Hill
‘The Secretary of State for Justice recently confirmed that the government is considering whether to introduce primary legislation to suspend jury trials for offences triable either way as a way to address the backlog of criminal cases arising from the public health crisis. This development has caused alarm amongst practitioners who might be hoping that Humphreys J was right when he said: “I cannot bring myself to believe that there are any persons other than the inmates of a lunatic asylum who would vote in favour of the abolition of trial by jury in serious criminal cases” (Do We Need a Jury? [1954] Crim LR 457).’
6 KBW College Hill, 30th June 2020
Source: blog.6kbw.com
High Court could get power to depart from EU case law – Litigation Futures
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is considering whether to allow the High Court as well as the Court of Appeal to depart from European Union case law from next year.’
Litigation Futures, 9th July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
