15 July 2020
Jury trials were due to resume at Durham, Chester, Bolton, Snaresbrook, Inner London and Leeds Crown Courts this week, following health and safety assessments
This brings the total number of courts deemed safe for jury trials to 48.
The government has identified ten suitable venues for Blackstone courts (the legal equivalent of Nightingale hospitals).
However, it has not yet announced a decision on its controversial proposals to hold judge-only trials for ‘either way’ cases or cut the number of jurors to seven.
Law Society president Simon Davis and Bar Council chair Amanda Pinto QC have opposed the proposals robustly, pointing out jury trials are vital for the rule of law and the backlog was already approaching 40,000 before the pandemic ‘as the government did not fund the judicial time needed’.
