A defendant’s right to a jury trial in England and Wales will be restricted to prevent them from “gaming the system," Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced.
He made the statement in the Commons on Tuesday while outlining court reforms to address the rising backlog of cases, which are projected to reach 100,000 by 2028.
The deputy prime minister also announced the scrapping of jury trials for defendants facing sentences of three years or less.
New “swift courts” will be set up, where a judge alone will decide verdicts in triable, either-way cases likely to carry a sentence of up to three years.
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on X: https://twitter.com/itvnews
