efendants with previous convictions would get a jury trial whereas defendants of good character would not – and the continued near-absence of black judges should be a ‘red flag’ – MPs scrutinising the Courts and Tribunals Bill heard yesterday.
The House of Commons justice select committee held its first evidence session on the bill, which will axe jury trials for all but the most serious offences.
Asked what information will be presented to the court to determine whether a case is heard by a judge or jury, Tom Guest, deputy director of legal policy at the Crown Prosecution Service, said prosecutors would set out the facts of the case, previous convictions and sentencing guidelines.
However, Richard Atkinson, former Law Society president, said: ‘If you are a heavily convicted person, you’re likely to get a longer sentence and will get a jury trial. If you’re a person of good character with the same set of facts, you may find yourself not facing a sentence as long and you will not get a jury trial. The loss of character, the impact on your employment and ability to hold yourself high in your local community is really important, but that’s not going to be a factor in determining allocation.
