July 14, 2025
RLC members were invited by the media to offer opinion and analysis following the publication of Sir Brian Leveson’s independent review of criminal courts, part 1.
“There are some positive aspects of the report (removing automatic right to appeal from Mags Court and greater use of out of court resolutions, scrapping release under investigation) but I have grave concerns about the limiting of right to jury trial and I fear that implementing the new Crown Court Bench Division will prove far more costly than is envisaged”
Simon Spence KC was invited to give opinion: [Greatest Hits Radio]
Sailesh Mehta was invited onto the Tom Swarbrick show on LBC Radio to discuss several proposed reforms aimed at easing pressure on the criminal justice system by handling low-level offences more efficiently and taking away the right to trial by jury for some complex fraud offences and some sex offences. He was asked for his opinion on the proposal to divert more minor offenders—like shoplifters and low-level drug users—away from traditional trials toward faster, non-custodial outcomes to alleviate a backlog of nearly 77,000 Crown Court cases.
Listen from 01:37:06: [LBC Global Player]
Tim Kiely shared his reaction in a recent Bar Council blog post:
“It’s time to decide: does the government simply want to equip the system to churn through criminal cases faster, as more of them come down the pipe? Or does it want to create a society in which we have fewer criminal cases to deal with in the first place. If nothing else, this review clears some welcome space to consider these issues. It is time to think again about what it means to live well under the law and to keep the public safe.”
Read blog here: [Bar Council]
