Overview
- Justice Secretary David Lammy confirmed that cases likely to attract sentences of three years or less would be tried in new single-judge “swift courts” within a Crown Court Bench Division.
- Magistrates’ courts would see sentencing powers raised to 18 months from 12 months to keep more either-way cases out of the Crown Court.
- Examples cited include offences such as owning a dangerous dog, threats to kill and house burglary, with juries retained for the most serious crimes.
- Local coverage from the Lancashire Telegraph reports strong public disapproval, highlights misconceptions about Magna Carta and constitutional rights, and notes a minority of readers backing judge-led trials.
- An Independent commentary defends the reforms as a response to a backlog approaching 80,000 cases with some trials listed as far as 2030, citing Sir Brian Leveson’s view that investment alone cannot fix delays and pointing to thousands of defendant-elected Crown Court cases.