Ohh... that's interesting - UK trials without juries

[BrilloPad]

I have witnesses thrown out of public trials before. During commital proceedings which is illegal.

[The Lone Gunman]

I guess the key point here is educated laypeople - most of the brain dead fu*kwits in this country are not my peers thanks.

Well said, I think I would object and press the "jury of my peers" option. Oddly, I think I would trust must of the CUKers to be fair.

Alternatively I would like to see us scrap the adversarial legal system we have. A clever lawyer can get a guilty person off by manipulating the system or intimidating a witness to best represent their client.
I would rather we had legal councils charged with representing the law who would come to a decision based on the evidence and interviews with all the witnesses.

[Churchill]

I couldn't agree more actually - although a jury system works great on paper, they're so heavily steered by the judge anyway, it's a bit of a farce.

They need something a little more in the middle - a mixed panel of educated laypeople with legal professionals maybe.

Or I'd settle for a whole jury of educated lay people with no interfierance from the judge.

I guess the key point here is educated laypeople - most of the brain dead fu*kwits in this <part of the> country are not my peers thanks.

Yeah, I've been to Sunderland and Newcastle...

[SallyAnne]

Clarkson wrote an article on this. He makes the point that a jury isn't exactly a great system - if we as educated types would often be biased anytime we see a chavy type on trial, it's a frightening thought having Joe Public decide your fate.

I couldn't agree more actually - although a jury system works great on paper, they're so heavily steered by the judge anyway, it's a bit of a farce.

They need something a little more in the middle - a mixed panel of educated laypeople with legal professionals maybe.

Or I'd settle for a whole jury of educated lay people with no interfierance from the judge.

I guess the key point here is educated laypeople - most of the brain dead fu*kwits in this country are not my peers thanks.

[centurian]

True but then what would one have in its place?

A chunk of western Europe do not have jury trials. Most of those that do have jury trials do so for the most serious crimes and tend to have far less than 12 people along with a panel of judges.

These systems are generally regarded as robust and fair...

[darmstadt]

The main reason for this happening in this case is due to just nobbling but who's not to say that the judge can be nobbled too?

They also put the case acroos that it was a very serious crime in that the men went to commit armed robbery and some other points yet nearly every crime of this sort is pre-meditated which means that in the not too distant future I would suspect that you will see more and more non-jury trials. Its then not a big step to start using them for other cases. Roll on the police state where you'll soon be guilty until proved innocent

[d000hg]

True but then what would one have in its place?

That's the question... a judge should be better since they are trained, but then it only takes a few bad apples and we have the whole MP expenses kind of scandal again.

[minestrone]

Most trials are done without a jury.

I am a sad fecker who likes to head down to the courts when benched to see a laugh.

[Menelaus]

Clarkson wrote an article on this. He makes the point that a jury isn't exactly a great system - if we as educated types would often be biased anytime we see a chavy type on trial, it's a frightening thought having Joe Public decide your fate.

True but then what would one have in its place?

[d000hg]

Clarkson wrote an article on this. He makes the point that a jury isn't exactly a great system - if we as educated types would often be biased anytime we see a chavy type on trial, it's a frightening thought having Joe Public decide your fate.

[Menelaus]

Oooh...is that the new ice cream flavour this year ????

Might as well be for all the effectiveness it seems to have.

[Board Game Geek]

Magna Carta

Oooh...is that the new ice cream flavour this year ????

[Menelaus]

All very Stalinesque

Still we have nothing to fear if we have done no wrong eh?

Who selects the judges btw?

And the dissolution of Magna Carta continues.

[Troll]

All very Stalinesque

Still we have nothing to fear if we have done no wrong eh?

Who selects the judges btw?

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a criminal trial can take place at Crown Court without a jury for the first time in England and Wales.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, made legal history by agreeing to allow the trial to be heard by a judge alone.

It is the first time the power has been used since it came into force in 2007.
The case concerns four men accused of an armed robbery at Heathrow Airport in 2004. The judge said jury "tampering" was a "very significant" danger.
Lord Judge told the court the cost of the measures needed to protect jurors from potential influence, such as the services of police officers, was too high and that such measures may not properly insulate them.

For example, they "did not sufficiently address the potential problem of interference with jurors through their families," Lord Judge said.