Barristers brand Andy Burnham's jury trials move 'car crash' within seconds of U-turn

Barristers up and down the country branded Andy Burnham's jury trials U-turn a "car crash" within seconds of its announcement last night.The move would push thousands more cases onto the nation's magistrates' courts by stripping defendants of their right to choose a Crown Court trial, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) warned.It's thought that 25,000 cases a year - including 5,500 jury trials - will be shunted into the country's lower courts as a result.Those will include complex assaults, sexual assaults and child abuse cases which volunteer magistrates are "completely unequipped to try", the CBA said. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Magistrates' courts do not have juries. Cases are instead heard by a panel of three trained...

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