UK Drops Broad Expansion of Judge-Only Trials

The UK government has abandoned a proposed expansion of judge-only Crown Court trials, but its revised plan would still remove some defendants’ ability to choose a jury trial and send more cases to magistrates’ courts. Justice Secretary Alex Norris said he changed course on judge-only trials after hearing objections, while remaining committed to reforms intended to reduce court delays. Under the revised approach, judge-only trials would be limited to some complex fraud and financial offences, the Ministry of Justice said. The government also plans to change how some either-way offences, which can be heard in either a magistrates’ court or the Crown Court, are allocated. Defendants in affected cases would no longer be able to elect a Crown Court jury trial; courts would decide where those cases are heard. The government’s proposal would also allow magistrates to impose sentences of up to two years, compared with the current one-year limit, according to the reports. The changes are due to be included in the Courts and Tribunals Bill when it returns to Parliament later in October.