Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 8 hours ago
Courts and Legal Services Minister Sarah Sackman defends the government's plans to scrap jury trials for offences with a likely prison sentence of three years or less, saying it will "tackle the record delays in backlogs" and "deliver swifter justice for victims". It comes after 3,200 legal experts, including retired judges and barristers, have called on the government to halt the plans. Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00We are bringing forward plans today to tackle the record delays that we've got in our backlogs.
00:05There are victims in this country reporting crimes, being told that their cases won't be heard until 2030.
00:1180,000 cases in the backlog behind each and every one of those, an individual victim, a defendant, all with
00:18their lives put on hold.
00:19So the government is acting, and it's acting in three ways.
00:22First, introducing record investment in our courts to allow them to sit as much as is needed,
00:26record investment in legal aid, modernisation, and critically the plans that are in today's bill,
00:32the Courts and Tribunals bill, which will save a lot of time, 20% of time, in the Crown Court
00:39so that we can have jury trials for the most serious cases, but crucially to deliver swifter justice for victims.
Comments

Recommended