Mayor needs to publicly champion jury trials

The Crown Court backlog has reached 80,000 cases and nearly 19,000 cases in London alone.

The London Assembly believes that the right to trial by jury is a fundamental element of the British constitution which dates back to the Magna Carta.

The Assembly has today called on the Mayor to write to the government and publicly champion the right to a jury trial for all Londoners accused of serious crimes.

Alex Wilson AM, who proposed the motion, said:

“I’m glad that the London Assembly backed my motion today and agreed that jury trials are a fundamental right that must be protected.

“London’s court case backlog has nothing to do with jurors, and everything to do with mismanagement.

“Across London, the story is the same – the problem isn't with juries, it's with poor resource management.”

The full text of the motion is:

This Assembly notes with great concern the Secretary of State for Justice’s plan which seeks to abolish the right to a jury trial for offences where the likely sentence is three years or less. These reforms are purported to address a Crown Court backlog that has reached 80,000 cases by transferring power to ‘Swift Courts’, which, alarmingly, are to be presided over by a single judge. Under these proposals, the ancient right of a defendant to a trial by their peers is removed.

In London, the backlog has reached nearly 19,000 cases. However, this Assembly believes that the blockage is not the jury system, but a failing estate where in some cases, hearing rooms have been closed for many years due to lack of maintenance.

This Assembly believes that the right to trial by jury is a fundamental element of the British constitution which dates back to the Magna Carta. Sacrificing this for administrative expedience sets a harmful precedent that erodes the liberty of the individual. Therefore, this Assembly believes that His Majesty’s Government should use other means to clear the backlog of Crown Court cases.

This Assembly notes the Mayor’s role in relation to policing and the importance of the jury system in maintaining confidence in the overall criminal justice system in London; therefore this Assembly resolves to:  

• Call upon the Mayor to write to the Secretary of State for Justice and the Prime Minister to express this Assembly’s opposition to the curtailment of jury trials;
• Request that the Mayor publicly champion the right to a jury trial for all Londoners accused of serious crimes.

The meeting can be viewed via webcast or YouTube.

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