Category: Crown Court

Crown Court (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2020: Questions We Should Be Asking – KCH Garden Sq

Posted February 6th, 2020 in chambers articles, Crown Court, media, news, video recordings by sally

‘When we think of televised court proceedings our minds instantly turn to the catchy maxim – ‘if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’. Johnnie Cochran’s words, spoken during the defence team’s closing argument of OJ Simpson’s trial, came to embody a sensational trial which was televised over 134 days. And who can forget the footage of OJ, putting on the black gloves and showing his hands to the judge and jury? Then we fast forward to 2016, and the world watched as Oscar Pistorius – Paralympic champion and breaker of glass ceilings – walked across the courtroom on his stumps at his resentencing hearing for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.’

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KCH Garden Sq, 29th January 2020

Source: kchgardensquare.co.uk

Crown court sitting days increase ‘nowhere near enough’ – criminal bar – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 5th, 2020 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, news, statistics by tracey

‘The criminal bar has welcomed the thousands of extra Crown court sitting days announced by the government this week but says it is not even close to what is needed.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th February 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Crown court disposals fall despite growing caseload – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 16th, 2019 in budgets, Crown Court, news, statistics by tracey

‘The Crown court faces a growing backlog of work, as the number of criminal cases reaching court rises but the number of disposals falls.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th December 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 – Law in Action: ‘Magistracy: a jewel in the crown of justice’ – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 7th, 2019 in cross-examination, Crown Court, magistrates, press releases, witnesses by tracey

‘Joshua Rozenberg from BBC Radio 4 spoke with Maidstone Bench Chair Gill Fryzer and John Bache from the Magistrates Association for his Law in Action programme.’

Full press release

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 7th November 2019

Source: www.judiciary.ukwww.judiciary.ukwww.judiciary.uk

‘Incomprehensible’ MoJ guides airbrush barristers out, says Bar Council – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 14th, 2019 in barristers, courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Guides explaining the workings of criminal courts should be corrected “as a matter of urgency” according to the Bar Council, which claims they “effectively airbrush out of history the role of barristers”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th October 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Barristers accuse MoJ of false economies in crown court backlogs – The Guardian

Posted September 24th, 2019 in barristers, Crown Court, delay, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘A dispute over delays to crown court trials has broken out after criminal barristers accused the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of making false economies by not reducing case backlogs.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Trial collapses after woman ‘followed the crowd’ and accidentally joined the jury – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 16th, 2019 in Crown Court, juries, mistake, news, oaths by tracey

‘A crown court case collapsed after a woman “simply followed the crowd” and accidentally joined the jury.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th September 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Junior judges face zero-hours working conditions, say lawyers – The Guardian

Posted July 1st, 2019 in budgets, courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, judiciary, news, part-time work by sally

‘Junior judges are being put on what are in effect zero-hours contracts as the criminal justice system succumbs to a fresh round of austerity and courtrooms are closed down, lawyers are warning.’

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The Guardian, 30th June 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Public Order Offences Consultation – Sentencing Council

Posted May 31st, 2018 in consultations, Crown Court, magistrates, news, public order, sentencing by sally

‘The Sentencing Council has produced this consultation paper in order to seek views from as many people as possible interested in the sentencing of Public Order Act offences.’

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Sentencing Council, 9th May 2018

Source: consult.justice.gov.uk

Allocation: Assessment of guideline – Sentencing Council

Posted March 8th, 2018 in courts, Crown Court, magistrates, news, sentencing, trials by tracey

‘The Sentencing Council has published its assessment of the impact of its Allocation Guideline, under its statutory duty to monitor the operation and effect of its sentencing guidelines and to draw conclusions from this information.’

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Sentencing Council, 6th March 2018

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Better case management – Counsel

Posted October 12th, 2017 in case management, criminal procedure, Crown Court, evidence, news by sally

‘Two years on, how have collective efforts to make every court hearing count evolved? Peter Hungerford-Welch summarises the procedural changes and the message from case law.’

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Counsel, October 2017

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘Soft sentence’ correction scheme extended to terror offences – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 17th, 2017 in attorney general, Crown Court, Ministry of Justice, news, press releases, sentencing, terrorism, victims by tracey

’19 terror-related offences will be added to Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to keep families and communities safe.’

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Ministry of Justice, 15th July 2017

Source: www.gov.uk

Lawyer who started her career with work experience aged 15 becomes UK’s youngest ever female judge at just 31 – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 8th, 2017 in Crown Court, judges, news, solicitors by tracey

‘A woman who began her career in law as a 15-year-old on work experience has become the country’s youngest ever female judge.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th March 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crown court sentencing being recorded for pilot project that could bring judges’ comments to TV – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 28th, 2016 in Crown Court, media, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Criminal court cases could soon be broadcast into living rooms across the country after a landmark project to explore the viability of filming legal proceedings.’

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Daily Telegraph, 27th July 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crown Court Bench Book – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted May 13th, 2016 in criminal procedure, Crown Court, judiciary, juries, press releases by tracey

‘The main aim of this Compendium is to provide guidance on directing the jury in Crown Court trials and when sentencing, though it contains some practical suggestions in other areas, for example jury management, which it is hoped will be helpful..’

Full press release

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 10th May 2016

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Judges to be filmed in English and Welsh crown courts – The Guardian

Posted April 26th, 2016 in courts, Crown Court, judiciary, news, pilot schemes, sentencing, video recordings, Wales by sally

‘Television cameras are to be allowed into crown courts in England and Wales for the first time under Ministry of Justice (MoJ) regulations that will be debated by parliament this week.’

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The Guardian, 25th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Number of dropped Crown Court prosecutions at highest level in five years – BBC News

Posted April 11th, 2016 in Crown Court, Crown Prosecution Service, evidence, news, prosecutions, public interest, statistics by tracey

‘The number and proportion of prosecutions dropped at Crown Courts in England and Wales has risen to its highest level in five years. More than 12,600 cases were discontinued from 2014 to 2015 – one in every eight Crown Court cases. At the same time, the proportion of Crown Court cases resulting in a conviction fell below the 80% mark for the first time since 2010-11.’

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BBC News, 11th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Crown courts to allow filming for first time – BBC News

Posted March 21st, 2016 in appeals, Crown Court, news, pilot schemes, reporting restrictions, Supreme Court, video recordings by tracey

‘TV cameras could be allowed into crown courts in England and Wales for the first time, as part of a pilot scheme proposed by the Ministry of Justice.’

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MOJ Press release

BBC News, 20th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More cases to be heard by magistrates – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 14th, 2015 in codes of practice, consultations, criminal justice, Crown Court, magistrates, news, sentencing by sally

‘Criminal cases should be sent to the Crown court only if they are “clearly unsuitable” for trial in the magistrates’ court, the Sentencing Council says in fresh guidance to ensure cases are tried and sentenced in the appropriate court.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 10th December 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Crown courts in England and Wales ‘chaotic and archaic’ – BBC News

Posted November 4th, 2015 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, news, reports, solicitors, victims, witnesses by sally

‘Victims and witnesses are often left marginalised in a court system that is “archaic” and “chaotic”, a report by the Criminal Justice Alliance has said.’

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BBC News, 4th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk