Vulnerable witnesses allowed to give evidence pre-trial – BBC News
‘Vulnerable witnesses can give evidence before a trial starts from Monday as part of a pilot scheme in three Crown Courts in England.’
BBC News, 28th April 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: Crown Court
Reshaping Justice – Speech by The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Lord Chief Justice
‘It is a pleasure and a privilege to have been asked to give this short address tonight. It is an important time for both Justice the organisation and for our justice system. With that in mind I want to focus on what I have described in the title as “Reshaping Justice”.’
Judiciary of England & Wales, 4th March 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
A cautionary tale – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
“Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has announced a ‘radical’ overhaul of simple cautions whereby their use will be banned in dealing with all indictable-only offences – ie serious offences such as robbery and serious assault that can only be tried in a Crown Court before a jury –and possession of any offensive weapon (including a knife), supplying Class A drugs and a range of sexual offences against children, including child prostitution and pornography.”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 4th October 2013
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Benefit cheats could face jail terms of up to ten years – Daily Telegraph
“Benefit cheats could face jail terms of up to ten years under plans to crackdown on people who ‘flout the system’, the country’s top prosecutor will say on Monday.”
Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Three’s a crowd for simple magistrates court cases, says minister – The Guardian
“Chris Grayling says it is absurd that benches of three magistrates are required to rubber-stamp ‘foregone conclusions.’ ”
The Guardian, 11th September 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Regina (Gibson) v Secretary of State for Justice – WLR Daily
Regina (Gibson) v Secretary of State for Justice: [2013] EWHC 2481 (Admin); [2013] WLR (D) 344
“Where the Crown Court fixed a term of imprisonment in default of a sum recoverable under a confiscation order the words ‘at the time the period of detention was imposed’ in section 79(2) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 meant the time when the default term was activated by the magistrates’ court, not the time when it was fixed by the Crown Court, for the purposes of calculating a reduction in the term of imprisonment.”
WLR Daily, 4th September 2013
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Leicester Crown Court is ‘in crisis’ according to lawyers – BBC News
“Victims of crime are being put through unnecessary extra stress because of a ‘crisis’ caused by a lack of judges at Leicester Crown Court, lawyers claim.”
BBC News, 26th July 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Crown court judges oppose legal aid changes – The Guardian
“Crown court judges have delivered a damning response to government plans to prevent defendants from choosing their solicitor and slice a further £220m off the legal aid budget.”
The Guaridan, 6th June 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Regina v Bateman; Regina v Doyle: [2012] EWCA Crim 2158; [2012] WLR (D) 355 – WLR Daily
Regina v Bateman; Regina v Doyle: [2012] EWCA Crim 2158; [2012] WLR (D) 355
“Where an offender was committed to the Crown Court by the magistrates’ court under paragraph 11(2)(a) of Schedule 12 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to be dealt with in respect of the commission of an offence committed during the operational period of a suspended sentence imposed by the Crown Court, the Crown Court’s sentencing powers in relation to other offences in respect of which the offender was committed under section 6(2) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 were limited by section 7(1) of the 2000 Act to those of the magistrates’ court.”
WLR Daily, 27th November 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
R v Varma – WLR Daily
R v Varma [2012] UKSC 42; [2012] WLR (D) 270
“The Crown Court had the power and, in most cases, where the criteria in section 6 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 were satisfied, the duty to make a confiscation order against a defendant following conviction for an offence in respect of which the defendant had received an absolute or a conditional discharge.”
WLR Daily, 10th October 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Chancery Lane warns against move to limit jury trial – Law Sociey’s Gazette
“The Law Society president has defended the right to jury trial following reports that the government is considering removing some offences from the jurisdiction of the Crown court.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 18th January 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Prosecutors to be able to challenge bail decisions – Daily Telegraph
“Prosecutors will be able to challenge crown court decisions to release suspected serious offenders out on bail after David Cameron announced a change in the law yesterday.”
Daily Telegraph, 11th January 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Crown Court Sentencing Survey – first results published – Sentencing Council
“The Sentencing Council has published a report with results from the Crown Court Sentencing Survey, an ongoing data collection exercise of sentencing decisions made in the Crown Court that is required for the Council to comply with the terms of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.
The report presents the findings of the first six months of the survey. It can be accessed here.”
Sentencing Council, 18th October 2011
Magistrates were told to send rioters to crown court, emails show – The Guardian
“Magistrates were urged to abandon sentencing guidelines when dealing with rioters last month because ‘nothing like this was envisaged’, according to court documents released to the Guardian. The text of two controversial emails circulated to justices’ clerks immediately after August’s disturbances raises questions about judicial independence and the use of blanket guidance irrespective of individual cases. One human rights group described the emails as ‘disturbing’.”
The Guardian, 14th September 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Riot jail sentences in crown courts up to three times longer than average – The Guardian
“Rioters sentenced in crown courts have received jail terms that are much more severe than usual, replicating the punitive response by magistrates, the Guardian can reveal.”
The Guardian, 5th September 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Modular courts piloted to meet soaring workloads – Ministry of Justice
“Temporary courtrooms are being used to extend a busy crown court and help it to meet its increased workload.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd February 2011
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Most child offenders should not face court, says report – BBC News
“The government is being urged to end Crown Court trials for children in England and Wales.”
BBC News, 5th January 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
