Jury trials may be reduced to clear backlog in courts in a unique reform

JURY trials are facing the axe to speed up court cases in a once-in-a-generation shake-up of the justice system.

Instead, a judge and two magistrates would handle some less serious cases.

It comes as Ministry of Justice data shows the backlog of cases in crown courts has ballooned to a record high of 73,105.

An additional 333,549 cases are currently unresolved in magistrates’ courts, leaving victims such as survivors of sexual assault and serious violence in a state of limbo as they wait for justice, sometimes for several years.

A review into the creation of intermediate courts — with a judge and magistrates overseeing trials — will be led by retired judge Sir Brian Leveson.

They would hear cases with a maximum two-year jail sentences.

Trial by jury would be retained for the most serious crimes such as rape and murder.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “To deliver the Government’s bold Plan for Change and make our streets safer, we require once-in-a-generation reform of a courts system stretched to breaking point.

“We owe it to victims to find bold, innovative approaches that will speed up justice, deliver safer streets and send a clear message to criminals that they will quickly face the consequences of their actions.”

But one lawyer compared the creation of an intermediary court to “designing a new ship while the current vessel is sinking”.