British government proposals to limit the historic right to trial by jury in many less serious criminal cases could impact the security of judges, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales said on Tuesday.
Under the proposals to clear a backlog of tens of thousands of cases in courts, judges would be solely responsible for deciding on someone’s guilt in those trials.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said she was not worried about judges succumbing to intimidation from people involved in those cases. Her greatest concern was judges would often hear cases at the same building on a daily basis, meaning their identity and location would be easily known.
“I have grave security concerns if there are going to be judge-alone trials,” Carr told reporters.
“So I’ve made the case very, very strongly that this needs to be considered and resourced properly and catered for properly,” she said. “I have been assured that that has all been heard and understood and that the resources should be made available.”
Incidents involving the judiciary are rare, but in 2024 a man was given an extended prison sentence after he punched a judge and threw a radiator at him.
Legislation to enact plans set out in December by justice minister David Lammy – which would not impact serious offences such as murder, rape, and robbery – is currently going through parliament.
The proposals have drawn wide criticism, including from lawmakers in the governing Labour Party.
Opponents say years of neglect and under-investment by successive governments, not jury trials, are to blame for the state of the criminal justice system, with its crumbling court buildings and shortages of judges and staff.
Lammy and supporters of the change say it will speed up justice for victims. Some cases are not being listed for trial until 2030, and there are a record 17,700 defendants on remand at the moment awaiting trial.
Criticism of the judiciary has grown in recent years, with some lawmakers, particularly from the Reform UK party which is leading in the polls, saying Britain had a “two-tier” justice system with ethnic groups treated more leniently than others.
Carr said abuse of judges on social media had taken a “nasty turn” and was increasingly racist and misogynistic, but there was still public faith in the judiciary.
“I don’t recognise the phrase two-tier justice as such in action. I think we just try and maintain the high quality of the work that we do,” she said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden）
