Gabriella Lewis

[Matthew Scott @Barristerblog]

Until Joshua Rozenberg pointed this out, nobody else, as far as I know, had reported that 2 of the Fordingbridge rapists had already served the equivalent of 17 & 18 month custodial sentences whilst awaiting trial. A relevant fact, & a pretty dismal failure of court reporting.

[James Rossiter @JamesDRossiter]

This is what one of the foremost criminal court judges has to say on Government plans to scrap jury trials for tens of thousands of serious cases.

Please share the independent view of Sir Stephen Mitchell with your MPs across all political parties.

Without fear or favour.

[LBC @LBC]

'It's barmy!'

Thirty seconds of suspended Karl Turner raging at the Labour Party.

[Matthew Scott @Barristerblog]

Leading Labour opponent of jury trial restrictions, @KarlTurnerMP, has whip suspended. Good to see an MP prepared to put his career on the line to oppose this disgraceful, unnecessary and unwanted constitutional vandalism.
https://t.co/8mDIhmIg6Z

[Joanna Hardy-Susskind @Joanna__Hardy]

Giving evidence to the House of Commons Committee scrutinising the Bill to restrict jury trials, Samantha Hillas KC says that a 20% saving takes a 5 day trial to 4 but that a judge has to then write a ruling:

‘When is that going to be written? That’s your fifth day, isn’t it?’

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

Retired judge savages David Lammy's plans to axe jury trials and says they will put the judiciary 'in the firing line' and WON'T save any money | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/iSmYdqJrFU

[Sky News @SkyNews]

"This is about getting the balance right."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defends the government's plans to scrap jury trials for cases likely to carry a sentence of fewer than three years.

https://t.co/pA3luVIu9t

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube

[Joanna Hardy-Susskind @Joanna__Hardy]

David Lammy MP’s arguments to restrict jury trial did not withstand the scrutiny of the legal profession, did not fool a significant number of rebellious MPs, did not survive the dignified, brave demolition of it by Charlotte Nichols MP, & it does not recover from this👇🏼

[The Secret Barrister 🦋 @BarristerSecret]

Joanna is politer than I am going to be.

For the Justice Secretary - a former barrister - to suggest that being wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned for three years is just like “scraping your knee”, should be a resignation matter.

@DavidLammy owes the public an apology.

[Joanna Hardy-Susskind @Joanna__Hardy]

Please know - when they whip this hard - that the courts can create victims in more than one direction.

Victims of crime, *of course*. But, also, victims of mistaken, incorrect and false allegations.

And you could be on either side of the courtroom.

Don’t forget that, either.

[Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla]

This may be the most British headline of all time:

‘First royal to be held since Charles 1, 1647’

[Joanna Hardy-Susskind @Joanna__Hardy]

You can speed up justice without cutting down juries.

Will David Lammy listen? Will your MP try?

H/T @emilydugan

[Jonathan Cook @Jonathan_K_Cook]

https://t.co/w7boUkuKZL

[David Lammy @DavidLammy]

Robert Buckland is wrong to consider proposals to limit jury trials for certain offences.

The right to trial by your fellow citizens is fundamental to our democracy.

It would be wrong of the government to abandon this valuable tradition for short-term benefit.

[Matthew Scott @Barristerblog]

The delays are awful, but this is highly misleading, 60% of rape complainants do not drop out "while waiting for trial." The %age of adult rape complainants dropping out after charge (ie while waiting for trial) has oscillated this year between 7.9% & 11.4%.

[BBC Politics @BBCPolitics]

"We're starting to lose sight of what we are trying to do in our courts... we are looking for justice"

Barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind discusses reform of the justice system in England and Wales on #PoliticsLive

https://t.co/c7Zp3mr1ux

[Tristan Kirk @kirkkorner]

Destroying jury trials isn't going to fix the wreckage of the criminal justice system.
And the damage to the public's faith in the system could be catastrophic

https://t.co/yS3JdUTCsB

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

This is what @DavidLammy MP Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice, says of juries

“Juries deliberate as a group through open discussion. This both deters and exposes prejudice and unintended bias: judgements must be justified to others. Successive studies have shown that juries deliver equitable results, regardless of the ethnic make-up of the jury, or the defendant in question.

You can find that in the Secretary of State for Justice’s “Lammy Review” first published in 2017:

“An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system.”

@DavidLammy concludes “Juries are a success story of our justice system. Rigorous analysis shows that, on average, juries – including all-white juries – do not deliver different results for BAME and White defendants.
The lesson is that juries are representative of local populations – and must deliberate as a group, leaving no hiding place for bias or
discrimination.”

[No Context Brits @NoContextBrits]

Make it stop.

[London & UK Street News @CrimeLdn]

Two police officers have gone on trial after they used pepper spray and a Taser on a 92-year-old care home resident who had one leg.

The officers were responding to a call from the care home in St-Leonards