UK Lords scrutinise proposed changes to criminal trials and appeals
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is at committee stage, with the next sitting scheduled for November 16.
The House of Lords began examining the Courts and Tribunals Bill clause by clause on November 10. The bill would change how some criminal cases are heard and appealed in England and Wales. Parliament lists November 16 as the next committee sitting.
The bill would remove an adult defendant’s ability to choose a Crown Court trial in cases that can be heard either there or by magistrates. It would allow judges to hear certain complex financial cases without a jury. Some appeals from magistrates’ courts to the Crown Court would require permission.
The government says structural changes would help reduce court delays, according to a House of Lords Library briefing. The briefing notes that proposed changes affecting jury trials and appeal rights drew controversy when the bill passed through the Commons.
The first committee sitting considered amendments on when a judge can sit alone, what custodial sentences magistrates can impose and how defendants can appeal. For the next sitting, Parliament lists amendments covering magistrate training, directions to juries about stereotypes and the transport of people in custody.