Following a substantial increase in Crown Court backlogs, the Ministry of Justice has floated the idea of restricting the use of jury trials and creating an ‘intermediate tier’ of court offences. The aim is to push some less serious cases, such as shoplifting and drug offences, away from a judge or jury trial to an intermediate tier, which is somewhere between a jury trial and a magistrates-only trial.
The intermediate tier would be comprised of a judge, supported by two magistrates. The purpose of this change is to make inroads into the backlogs, which currently stand at around 73,000 Crown Court cases and are predicted to reach 100,000.
Former High Court judge Sir Brian Leveson is to lead a review, aiming for completion in spring 2025. It will also look at expanding magistrates’ sentencing powers from six months to 12 months to bring about more capacity in the magistrates’ courts.
Unsurprisingly, the idea has faced fierce resistance by criminal justice practitioners, who argue
