Trial by jury on its way out?

[RichardCranium]

I thought the government brought in the option to run a trial without a jury as part of its anti-terrorism changes.

It hasn't taken long for that to get 'expanded'. Link.

[threaded]

But they can afford coppers to be stood outside the several empty houses of his majesty Tone.

[d000hg]

Clarkson wrote a good argument about why trial-by-jury is not exactly a big deal. I don't have time to find it, maybe someone else knows it? Will post later if I remember.

[moorfield]

I thought the government brought in the option to run a trial without a jury as part of its anti-terrorism changes.

Yeah - replaced by Trial By Meedja - they just leak the details to the tabloids instead now. Much cheaper and guarantees a "safer" verdict.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Clarkson wrote a good argument about why trial-by-jury is not exactly a big deal. I don't have time to find it, maybe someone else knows it? Will post later if I remember.

No, but it is a big deal when government introduces changes as part of anti-terrorism legislation, and then applies them more and more widely.

[TimberWolf]

Do away with juries and shoot bag snatchers on sight. This discourages criminals and soon there will be none left as only 10% of innocent people get killed. With a telescopic rifle muggers can be taken out from roof-top 0.5 kilometres away. People like me should be special martial who pass sanity test and have certificate licence allowing to kill without trial. I would leave country is this sane policy is not implemented and whoever banned pepper spray should also be shot.

[AtW]

Do away with juries and shoot bag snatchers on sight. This discourages criminals and soon there will be none left as only 10% of innocent people get killed. With a telescopic rifle muggers can be taken out from roof-top 0.5 kilometres away. People like me should be special martial who pass sanity test and have certificate licence allowing to kill without trial. I would leave country is this sane policy is not implemented and whoever banned pepper spray should also be shot.

FFS, they should include sockie management tools in this board - always get wrong logins

[NickFitz]

I thought the government brought in the option to run a trial without a jury as part of its anti-terrorism changes.

No, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provided for trial without a jury in two circumstances: complex fraud trials, and cases where there is a significant risk of jury tampering. In this case, a previous trial was halted because of jury tampering.

It hasn't taken long for that to get 'expanded'. Link.

Nope, not expanded at all: this is precisely the kind of case envisaged in the Act.

As for the rights and wrongs of the matter, Marcel Berlins, lawyer and journalist, had an interesting think piece about it in The Grauniad yesterday.

[RichardCranium]

No, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provided for trial without a jury in two circumstances: complex fraud trials, and cases where there is a significant risk of jury tampering. In this case, a previous trial was halted because of jury tampering.

Damn good job I didn't go into a 1,500 word rant about it.

[VectraMan]

Didn't this happen about a year ago? Or is this just the start of the case that they announced then? I'm sure there was the same debate on this forum.

I don't understand why you couldn't still have a jury, but a secret jury at a secret location watching video of the trial. That has to be much better than just leaving it up to a judge.