Jury trials limit proposal 'worrying price to pay'

John Campion has urged the government to look at improving the courts' efficiency, rather than limiting jury trials

The government's plans to ease record crown court backlogs have been described as a "worrying price to pay to improve timeliness" by The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for West Mercia Police.

John Campion said he wanted to see more offenders brought to justice, but added he feared "throwing away some of the principles our society holds dear".

It comes after an internal government briefing outlined plans by Justice Secretary David Lammy to only guarantee a jury trial to those facing rape, murder, manslaughter or other cases passing a public interest test.

When approached at the time, The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said: "No final decision has been taken by government."

They added: "We have been clear there is a crisis in the courts, causing pain and anguish to victims – with 78,000 cases in the backlog and rising – which will require bold action to put right."

In practice, that means that suspects being charged with serious crimes today may not have a trial until late 2029 or early 2030.

The plans, obtained by BBC News, showed that Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, wanted to ask Parliament to end jury trials for defendants who would be jailed for up to five years.

The proposals are an attempt to end unprecedented delays and backlogs in courts, and do not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Mr Campion added: "I really worry about the government potentially throwing the baby out with the bath water.

"There's so many more things that could be done to tackle the backlog than throwing away some of our core principles."

Mr Campion described the backlog as "ridiculous" but urged the government to look at improving the courts' efficiency.

"Where's the more sitting days so judges can sit more often, where's the increase in venues that they can sit in, where's the focus to get more advocates to defend and prosecute," he asked.

Asked where the money would come from to support such suggestions, Mr Campion said: "I don't come with all the answers but what I do know is there needs to be a long-term plan to fix it."