Custody time limit to be increased to ease court case backlog in England – The Guardian

Posted September 7th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, delay, detention, news, time limits, trials by sally

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Harry Dunn death: Anne Sacoolas faces possible trial in absentia – The Guardian

‘The attorney general for England and Wales, Suella Braverman, is considering trying the wife of a US intelligence officer in her absence on a charge of causing the death by dangerous driving of the teenager Harry Dunn.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 25th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law Society and Bar Council at odds over quarantine exemption – Legal Futures

Posted August 24th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, courts, freedom of movement, Law Society, news, trials by sally

‘The Law Society has spoken out against a government clarification sought by Bar Council that means anyone self-isolating after returning from abroad can break quarantine to attend court.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 21st August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Vulnerable victims to give pre-recorded evidence to trials – BBC News

Posted August 24th, 2020 in children, criminal justice, evidence, news, trials, victims, video recordings by sally

‘Children and other vulnerable victims of crime can pre-record evidence to avoid attending court from today.’

Full Story

BBC News, 24th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

City giant self-reports to SRA after trial streamed live on Zoom – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A City firm which disobeyed a court order and allowed a libel trial to be live streamed to clients abroad has reported itself to the regulator.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 7th August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Top judge slates firm over trial live-stream breach – Legal Futures

‘The president of the Queen’s Bench Division has strongly criticised lawyers in the London office of US firm McDermott Will & Emery (MWE) after they allowed a trial to be live-streamed to observers outside the UK without the court’s permission.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 7th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Justice secretary drops plan to replace jury trials – Legal Futures

‘Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland has dropped a widely criticised plan to replace juries in some criminal trials with a judge and two magistrates.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 23rd July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Our goodwill has run dry” – hundreds to refuse out-of-hours hearings – Legal Futures

‘Hundreds of crime lawyers have issued public refusals to attend hearings in evenings or at weekends as new figures show that backlogs in courts and tribunals were growing even before the coronavirus.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 24th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Stevie Martin: Bullying, threatening and animus: what remains of the rule against apparent bias following the Supreme Court’s judgment in Serafin? – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘At the heart of the Supreme Court judgment in Serafin v Malkiewicz was the question of whether the Court of Appeal was correct in finding that the defamation proceedings before Justice Jay had been unfair (though the Court’s reasons with respect to the public interest defence under s 4 of the Defamation Act 2013 are also profoundly significant).’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 22nd July 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

What Shamima Begum’s Case Means For Our Right To A Fair Trial – Each Other

‘The UK is the country Shamima Begum was born, raised, groomed and radicalised in. Like any Briton accused of any crime – she must have the right to a fair trial, writes human rights lawyer Shoaib M Khan.’

Full Story

Each Other, 17th July 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Coronavirus: Ten ‘Nightingale Courts’ in England and Wales to open – BBC News

Posted July 20th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, trials by sally

‘Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’

Full Story

BBC News, 19th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.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).’

Full Story

6 KBW College Hill, 30th June 2020

Source: blog.6kbw.com

Proposal To Scrap Juries ‘Shocking’ Amid Black Lives Matter Movement – Each Other

‘Proposals to scrap juries for some trials to reduce court backlogs would remove the “only part of the criminal justice process” proven not to discriminate against minority ethnic groups, a legal expert has warned.’

Full Story

Each Other, 9th July 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

MoJ favours ‘Nightingale’ crown courts to tackle huge backlog of cases – Thomas More Chambers

‘So reports Owen Bowcott, the legal affairs correspondent for The Guardian today. “Nightingale” courts being venues which have been identified as suitable for trials utilising public spaces such a civic centres or university moot halls; apparently to be renamed Blackstone Courts.’

Full Story

Thomas More Chambers, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

Why we can’t tell if a witness is telling the truth – OUP Blog

Posted July 8th, 2020 in cross-examination, deceit, news, trials, witnesses by sally

‘Imagine that you are a juror in a trial in which the chief witness for the prosecution gives evidence about the alleged crime which is completely at odds with the evidence given by the accused. One of them is either very badly mistaken or lying. On what basis will you decide which one of them is telling the truth? And how sure can you be in your conclusion?’

Full Story

OUP Blog, 7th July 2020

Source: blog.oup.com

Criminal cases backlog could take a decade to clear, watchdog warns – The Guardian

‘The backlog of untried cases in the criminal justice system – which has ballooned during lockdown – could take a decade to clear, an official watchdog has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Virtual hearings with physical jury hubs hailed a success – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 19th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, juries, news, remote hearings, trials by sally

‘Virtual trials with physical jury hubs could be an effective way of clearing the significant Crown court backlog caused by Covid-19, academics evaluating the latest experiment from a legal thinktank have said.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 19th June 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Drop juries for less serious crimes in England and Wales, judges say – The Guardian

Posted June 17th, 2020 in coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, juries, news, trials by sally

‘Less serious crimes should be tried in crown courts before a judge without a jury in order to tackle the thousands of cases building up during the pandemic crisis, judges have suggested.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 16th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Resumption of jury trials: an open justice “toolkit” – Doughty Street Chambers

‘For seven weeks Covid-19 shut the doors of jury trials in England and Wales. On 11th May 2020, the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor announced the resumption of new jury trials in “certain courtrooms under certain conditions” from 18th May 2020. In the interim, two guinea pig trials resumed at the Old Bailey.’

Full Story

Doughty Street Chambers, 18th May 2020

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

Gerry Adams wins appeal against Maze Prison escape convictions – BBC News

‘Gerry Adams has won his appeal to have two convictions for attempting to escape from prison in the 1970s overturned.’

Full Story

BBC News, 13th May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk