"In an article published in Socialist Lawyer magazine in spring 1992, Starmer, who was then reportedly the secretary of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, wrote: The right to trial by jury is an important factor in the delicate balance between the power of the state and the freedom of the individual. The further it is restricted, the greater the imbalance. Despite the inevitable increase in costs, the Haldane Society urges that there be a right of trial by jury in all criminal cases."
"Keir Starmer, whose government has drawn up plans to scrap nearly all jury trials, previously said that all criminal cases including those at magistrates courts should be heard before juries, the Guardian can disclose. In a magazine article, the prime minister wrote that the right to trial by jury is an important factor in the delicate balance between the power of the state and the freedom of the individual."
Plans have been drawn up to scrap nearly all jury trials, with proposals that could be rolled out in the new year. Under the proposals, juries would only pass judgment on public interest offences with possible prison sentences of more than five years. Keir Starmer previously called for jury trials to be extended to thousands of magistrates' cases despite increased costs. A leaked Whitehall document prompted swift backlash from senior lawyers warning the changes would not reduce court backlogs and could destroy justice. The court backlog stands at around 78,000 cases and rising. No final decisions have been made.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]